Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Date: Why The Fight Is Happening In Summer 2017

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor are scheduled to fight on Aug. 26, making for an unusual date when it comes to the sport of boxing. Mayweather typically fights in May or September, looking to avoid a bout in the summer when casual fans might not opt to stay in on a Saturday night and order a pay-per-view.

For members of both sides, however, putting the super fight together in a quick fashion was important in order to maximize the amount of money it could potentially generate.

READ: How Much Money Will Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor Make?

“The reason they’re doing this so fast is because they don’t want to give the public any more time to realize what they’re fighting,” The Vertical’s Chris Mannix said on “The Dan Patrick Show” Thursday. “It’s like a guy going to Vegas and getting married on a whim, and he does it because he doesn’t want to have to think about it and realize he’s making a bad decision. The people that are gonna put $100 down on this fight, if you drag this out to October or November, and it continues just getting pureed in the media as it will over the next couple of months, they don’t want to give people more time to think about how bad a fight this is going to be. So they put this on, they’re rushing it out the front door, and they want to make this thing happen before people realize that this is a gross, utter mismatch.”

The fight could become the biggest of all time in terms of money made and pay-per-view sales. With the biggest star in UFC and the No.1 name in boxing going head-to-head, it has a chance to eclipse the 4.6 million buys that were generated when Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao two years ago. It will likely cost $100, and millions of casual sports fans will gladly pay to watch two of the greatest athletes in combat sports face off.

But as far as the fight being an entertaining one when the bell rings, that appears to be a major long shot.

Realistically, McGregor has close to no chance to defeat any top boxer, let alone the greatest one of his generation. Mayweather could go an entire 12-round fight without receiving any kind of damage from McGregor, and the fight will only last as long as he allows it. Perhaps he’ll want it to go a few rounds and give the fans a show, but it would largely consist of Mayweather sidestepping McGregor’s punches and having his way with the UFC lightweight champion.

Those who buy the fight will probably be treated to a knockout since Mayweather can essentially end the fight whenever he decides. Even if there is an exciting finish, the fight will almost certainly leave a lot of people unhappy.

When Mayweather and Pacquiao squared off two years ago, some fans were so upset with the lack of action from both fighters that they sued Pacquiao and the fight’s promoters. How will fans feel when McGregor is unable to mount any type of offense against Mayweather?

READ: Will Floyd Mayweather Knock Out Conor McGregor?

Plenty of fans actually believe McGregor has a chance to pull off the upset. That's why the betting odds keep dropping and Mayweather was an even bigger favorite when he faced Andre Berto in his last fight.

Boxing fans who buy the fight will know what they’re getting, and they’ll expect Mayweather to win a non-competitive contest. But a lot of casual fans might wish they hadn’t paid to see the fight once the hype ends and McGregor looks completely overmatched.