Biaggio Ali-Walsh: Grandfather Muhammad Ali Would’ve Loved Conor McGregor’s Rise
Ali's grandson, Biaggio Ali-Walsh, feels his grandfather would've been in awe of Conor McGregor.
PFL fighter Biaggio Ali-Walsh, a grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, says his grandfather would’ve loved Conor McGregor.
McGregor is expected to return to fighting later this year against Michael Chandler. He hasn’t fought since a loss to Dustin Poirier via doctor’s stoppage at UFC 264.
McGregor helped change the landscape of MMA and more specifically, the UFC. His ‘champ-champ’ run during what is widely regarded as the prime of his career is one the most remarkable periods in UFC history.
McGregor’s rise in the UFC is similar to that of Ali during his boxing career. Ali-Walsh feels if his grandfather were still alive, he would’ve been in awe of McGregor’s accomplishments.
Biaggio Ali-Walsh Compares Muhammad Ali To Conor McGregor
During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Ali-Walsh explained how his legendary grandfather would’ve seen McGregor and MMA.
“I think he would’ve liked MMA,” Ali-Walsh said of his grandfather. “MMA really started with the question of… which martial art is the best? He had that question in the 70s, so that question was always there…
“Especially when Conor was doing his peak trash talk, he would’ve loved it…and he backed it up, too. That’s a huge thing.”
Ali-Walsh will return to the PFL on April 7th against Isaiah Figueroa. He made his PFL debut in a win last November and is taking his time with his amateur run in MMA.
Ali passed away in 2016 at 74 years old after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He amassed a 56-5 record in his professional boxing career and won multiple heavyweight world titles.
The case could be made that McGregor is the closest thing that MMA has had to Ali, and Ali-Walsh feels his grandfather would accept that comparison with open arms.
