‘If Conor McGregor was black, he’d be hated’ – MMA star reopens racism debate

Just as one controversy dies down, another erupts.

Conor McGregor's trash-talk has, once again, been highlighted to show a perceived racist divide in the fight game. McGregor's success stems from his ability to talk the talk and then walk the walk. Last month, Floyd Mayweather suggested that The Notorious' popularity was proof that white fighters get more leeway than black fighters. That notion was shut down by McGregor in an emphatic Facebook post. The issue has now been reopened by Muhammed Lawal during an interview on the MMA Roasted podcast. Following McGregor's UFC 194 win over Jose Aldo, 'Mighty Mo' was insulted that the featherweight was being likened to boxing superstar Muhammad Ali. In Wednesday's podcast, Lawal gave credit to McGregor for his impact on the sport but pointed out that his race [Caucasian] allowed him to talk smack whenever and wherever he deems fit. He declared:

"Straight up, Conor's doing his thing. He's making his money; he's a great personality; great for the sport. "But if Conor was black - man, shut that down - he'd be hated."

'Mighty Mo' added, "Being black, they walk we talk is often perceived as negative. "If we talk trash or we're outgoing, we're [seen as] cocky or brash. If they're someone else then it's 'Oh they're outgoing'." The light heavyweight, who most recently won a $300,000 Rizin bout in Japan, likened McGregor to other outspoken white sportspeople Dan Gable [US wrestling coach] and John McEnroe. "If they were black they'd be a bad sportsperson or arrogant," he said. *You can listen to the full Lawal interview here [starts around 1:08:00]