You know when strong but filthy comics try to work clean? They’ve almost all done it, because that’s traditionally been where the money is. You clean up your material for The Tonight Show, win over the audience, and then do your real business in the club. (HBO and a looser culture changed the paradigm a bit, but most comedians would still like to have a network sitcom.) That’s the situation MMA wizard Conor McGregor will be in against boxer Floyd Mayweather. Just as some of the comedians best jokes are illegal on TV, most of McGregor’s best weapons are illegal in boxing.
Floyd Mayweather will open himself up for multiple elbow shots and furious kicks, but McGregor won’t be able to deliver them. McGregor will be restricted to using his hands, which is the equivalent of a dirty comic working clean. Mayweather won’t have to worry about most of McGregor’s MMA arsenal — because he can’t use it. He’ll just have to track McGregor’s hands. Every time McGregor wants to tell a dirty joke — or kick Mayweather in the head — he’ll have to hold back. That said, there have been many excellent comic performances on The Tonight Show and its like — taking away options sometimes makes a performance sharper. But removing weapons is tough for the stripped fighter. McGregor will try to outbox — and only box — Mayweather on August 26 in Las Vegas.
