Tom Taylor, a licensed boxing referee and judge, says UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor knocked former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi to the ground while the two were sparring.
On Friday, footage was released of McGregor and Malignaggi sparring. In the video, Malignaggi falls to the ground. Malignaggi claims he was pushed to the ground, while McGregor and his team claim he was knocked to the ground.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Taylor shared his thoughts on what happened in the sparring footage.
“I can’t tell you how I would have scored it live,” Taylor said. “I may have called it a knockdown because the last thing to land was a short right hand to the side of Paulie’s head. That could still constitute a knockdown.
“It’s a judgment call and I think it could go either way. I wouldn’t argue it either way if a referee said it was a knockdown or no knockdown.”
McGregor is currently preparing to compete in his first professional boxing match. On Aug. 26, McGregor will fight boxing legend Floyd “Money” Mayweather at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
