Conor McGregor flies to Saudi Arabia to attend blockbuster ‘Day of Reckoning’ fight after watching Tyson Fury beat Francis Ngannou ring-side… as MMA star plots his own return to the octagon in 2024
Conor McGregor is preparing to attend the blockbuster 'Day of Reckoning' boxing event in Saudi Arabia, headlined by Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua.
Saturday night's card is one of the most star-studded in recent memory, with a series of top heavyweights preparing to do battle in Riyadh as the kingdom continues its bombastic expansion by investing in boxing matches.
Wilder and Joshua will appear on the same card, but the long-term rivals will not fight each other. Instead, Joshua will face Otto Wallin, and Wilder is expected to stop Joseph Parker.
Should both leading heavyweights win their fights, the result could see a box-office return to the Gulf state to ultimately meet in the ring to decide who emerges as the mandatory challenger to the WBC world heavyweight champion.
Lower down the card, Jarrell Miller will battle Daniel Dubois after a tough final encounter at the weigh-in on Friday night, Dmitry Bivol will meet Lyndon Arthur, Jei Opetaia will fight Ellis Zorro and Agit Kabayel will try to outlast Arslanbek Makhmudov. .
Conor McGregor will appear in the blockbuster 'Day of Reckoning' in Saudi Arabia
At the top of the card is Anthony Joshua (left), who takes on Otto Wallin on Saturday evening
The MMA star previously traveled to Saudi Arabia to watch Tyson Fury beat Francis Ngannou
The MMA star will be in the Kingdom to take part in the action, as McGregor confirmed to his supporters via social media.
“Goodbye (Chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment Turki AlAlShikh)!” McGregor tweeted.
'Thank you for inviting me to the Kingdom again, I can't wait! (Saudi flag emoji, crown emoji) '.
A host of big names from the world of combat sports are expected to be in attendance at the banner fight, after boxing legends such as Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson turned out in late October to watch Francis Ngannou go the distance against Tyson Fury. .
McGregor was present at the 'Battle of the Baddest' to see Fury narrowly wipe out the result after first attending a 'World Champions Lunch' the day before the match.
After the fight, McGregor delivered his verdict on his former colleague Ngannou and the ex-doubles world champion was effusive in his praise.
“Jesus, Ngannou is a powerful kid too,” McGregor said. “Tyson couldn't hold him.
“He just missed with that backhand.”
The 35-year-old is preparing for his own return to competition before potentially entering the octagon in 2024.
McGregor posted an excited message on social media on Friday ahead of the banner fight
Chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment Turki Alalshikh (center) is a huge fan
McGregor is plotting his own return to the octagon in 2024, but a date has not yet been confirmed
McGregor suffered a horror fracture to his tibia in 2021 during his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in Las Vegas, a rivalry seven years in the making after first meeting in 2014.
However, the fight did not progress beyond the first round, with Notorious backing away from a punch but seemingly putting too much weight on his left leg, resulting in his tibia being broken.
There has been much speculation about when he would return, with McGregor having agreed to face American star Michael Chandler in a UFC fight, but a date has yet to be confirmed.
McGregor has 22 wins from 28 MMA fights, while also appearing in one professional boxing match when he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017.