The moment Conor McGregor’s harshest critics were forced to eat their words

Conor McGregor's experiment has failed, but the way it unfolded was absolutely fascinating.

When it was first announced that Conor McGregor would be boxing Floyd Mayweather in his professional debut, few gave him a hope of winning. The vast majority felt that the UFC fighter would be completely outclassed in his attempt to step inside the prize pugilist's domain. Given all the information that we knew about both men, this was a fair prediction to make. Considering how the fight played out, you could say it was pretty accurate. https://twitter.com/SportsJOE_UK/status/901698688736788480 What was truly perplexing, though, was the sheer number of people who thought the warrior who has spent his life dedicated to perfecting his striking style wouldn't land anything of note on arguably the greatest defensive boxer ever. Even the best get hit and Mayweather is undoubtedly the best. As much of a master as he is in the art of evasion, he still gets hit.

"There is no way he will be able to land a meaningful punch on Floyd. How could he?"

That was what Manny Pacquiao told Yahoo Sports about McGregor's chances against Floyd Mayweather. As McGregor famously said, respect is earned through battle. After seeing what McGregor managed to show against the undefeated elite boxer, Pacquaio had nothing but respect for 'The Notorious'. https://twitter.com/mannypacquiao/status/901673605565517824

"Conor McGregor will not land a single punch against Floyd Mayweather."

That was Max Kellerman's infamous prediction for the Money Fight. He was certain that McGregor would not be able to transition to boxing and would whiff nothing but air. However, in the very first round, McGregor not only landed, but he landed a punch of real significance against Mayweather. He cracked Mayweather's chin with a firm uppercut that sent his head rocking backwards. https://twitter.com/squadxtra/status/901662116058341376 Credit to Mayweather's granite chin, he ate the punch like the champion that he is. However, McGregor proved a lot of doubters wrong in that moment, and he went on to find home with his fists many more times in the bout.