Conor McGregor again scratched the race itch that has dogged the promotional tour of the cagefighter's big upcoming fight with Floyd Mayweather. It finally got under the boxer's skin on Thursday, along with the media — both news and social.
But apparently not those profiting from the spectacle, as the Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Conor McGregor World Press Tour now criss-crossing the country before the main event hasn't had a script change.
The two fighters came together for their third promotional event, this time at Brooklyn's Barclays Center in New York City, where the UFC champion fighter again broached race, reported USA Today.
McGregor was criticized for making racially-tinged comments in the first promotional event in Los Angeles earlier in the week when he told Mayweather to "dance for me, boy," according to the New York Post.
"That doesn't sit well with me," McGregor told reporters on Thursday about how his earlier comment was characterized as racist, noted USA Today. "I'm very multi-cultured. I'm a multi-cultured individual. I don't have any ill feelings toward anybody. I don't even see color. I just wanted to say something and have a little fun with it."
"I just wanted to address it and play with it in my own little way. It's stupid and it's ridiculous and that's basically what I was getting at."
Then McGregor continued and reportedly made comments about African-American women and sex.
"A lot of media is saying I’m against black people," McGregor said, according to the website MMAJunkie.com. "That's absolutely (expletive) ridiculous. Do they not know I'm half-black? I'm half-black from the bellybutton down."
"Here's a little present for my beautiful black female fans," McGregor added, gyrating his hips in the air.
Mayweather, who blew off McGregor's "dance with me" comments earlier in the week, didn't hold back this time, reported Yahoo! Sports.
"I think that disrespecting my daughter, disrespecting the mother of my daughter, disrespecting black women, calling black people monkeys, it's totally disrespectful," Mayweather said at the event.
"It's total disrespect and he came out today and he did it again. You do not disrespect, I don't care if it's white women, black women, white men, black men, Asian, Latina or Latino. You don't disrespect people. To get respect you have to give respect," he added.
McGregor's comments also set off Twitter, again.