Jimi Manuwa thinks Conor McGregor's MMA acumen could help him to stun Floyd Mayweather

The British UFC star thinks that there is a chance McGregor will stun Mayweather on August 26, and that his MMA abilities could prove key

Manuwa can see the Irishman stunning Mayweather (Getty)

British UFC star Jimi Manuwa believes that Conor McGregor has the ability to win his professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather – but only if he makes use of some of his MMA skills in the ring.

McGregor has been repeatedly warned to keep his cool in the ring, with UFC president Dana White confirming recently that the Irishman had signed a contract agreeing not to go beyond the rules of boxing in the ring.

“He would have a lawsuit against him that would destroy Conor's life, and Mayweather would win,” White said. “It absolutely cannot happen. He would be sued beyond belief if he does anything but hit Floyd Mayweather with his hands to the head and body.”

Manuwa however believes some of McGregor’s MMA moves could prove key to his hopes of upsetting the odds and beating Mayweather – albeit not the kind that could land him in legal trouble.

“I do give McGregor a chance of winning,” Manuwa told The Independent, ahead of his fight against Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 214 on Saturday night.

“The thing is Mayweather’s ring craftsmanship is second to none. So Conor has to really make him work and bully him in there – he has to get him into a corner and beat him up. And Conor has MMA skills which Mayweather won’t have seen before.

“Coming from MMA, Conor has so many more skills other than just boxing which he can use, such as the clinch and his wrestling ability. Plus he’s the stronger man. So it is going to be a very interesting fight, but it’s key that Conor gets on the inside and really bullies him.

“Of course on paper it looks as though McGregor hasn't got a chance, but when you put two trained athletes inside a contained environment, anything can happen. We have seen that a lot in the UFC, but maybe we haven't seen it in boxing yet. I think if McGregor catches him it could be lights out.”

Manuwa thinks McGregor has the punching power to knockout Mayweather (Getty)

Manuwa will be watching the August 26 fight with a keen eye, as he is also considering briefly exchanging the Octagon for the ring, just like McGregor.

The 37-year-old recently spoke with White about the prospect of facing David Haye in the ring, with some bad blood already resonating around the clash after a training incident a few years ago.

“We’ve talked a lot, with me, Dana and him,” Manuwa said. “We had a conference call when I was in Vegas when I met Dana White. Regardless, he’s not going to be ready to fight until November or December so it’s looking like the fight is going to happen in January or early next year.”

Manuwa at the weigh-in ahead of UFC 214 (Getty)

Reaction to the worlds of boxing and MMA colliding has not been completely positive, with the Mayweather vs McGregor bout in particular attracting no shortage of scorn.

But Manuwa believes a lot of the negativity surrounding the fight is because of jealousy.

“I expected a negative reaction,” he adds. “Basically I think that the boxers are being snobby about the fight because they are honestly scared. They’re scared that an MMA fighter is going to come into their world and beat the best.

“And then there are a lot of people who are simply jealous of McGregor and that the fight is happening in the first place. But I cannot think why people are being negative about it, because we all know that absolutely everybody is going to watch it.”

Watch Manuwa in action at UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2 live on BT Sport 2 from 1am BST on the morning of Sunday, July 30th, or catch the Early Prelims from 11:30pm BST on Saturday, July 29th.