Conor McGregor and Manny Pacquiao will ‘definitely’ fight in the near future, according to their shared manager

Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor

  • Conor McGregor and Manny Pacquiao will "definitely" fight in the near future.
  • That's according to Audie Attar, who runs the Paradigm SM agency, which represents both athletes.
  • "That is a fight we are definitely going to make because both fighters want it and there seems to be an interest from the fans all around the world," Attar told Bloomberg TV.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Conor McGregor and Manny Pacquiao will "definitely" fight in the near future.

That's according to Audie Attar, the power-agent who represents both fighters through his management vehicle Paradigm SM.

A former two-weight UFC champion, McGregor returns January 23 to the Octagon when he competes in a lightweight match against Dustin Poirier, likely on the UFC-branded Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

"As it relates to Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor, Conor has a fight on January 23 against Dustin Poirier," Attar told Bloomberg TV this week. "He will be handling business against Dustin first."

The coronavirus pandemic and frustration with options presented to him by the UFC sent McGregor into a short-lived, self-imposed retirement in the summer. Before that, the Irishman had spoken of his desire to be active.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao has not boxed since July 2019, and though he is a Senator of the Philippines, he has never said he's quit fighting for good.

At the beginning of the year, Insider learned that a fight involving the mixed martial artist and the veteran boxer could generate $250 million.

It is a bout which was the talk of Las Vegas when the combat sports industry, including Insider, was in town January for McGregor's 40-second destruction of Donald Cerrone.

McGregor told the media before the Cerrone fight that he had been in discussions with Pacquiao regarding a  lucrative boxing match.

"Conor has come out and said he wants to fight Manny, [and] Manny has come out and said he wants to fight Conor," Attar said.

"As I stated publicly before, we have had conversations. So, that is a fight we are definitely going to make because both fighters want it and there seems to be an interest from the fans all around the world."

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