Conor McGregor has deleted a controversial social media post in which he made a distasteful joke about Jake Paul potentially fighting Prichard Colon, who is now paralyzed.
The ugly joke by the MMA star was removed after it attracted considerable attention and criticism from his large following. This comes on the heels of Jake Paul continuing his boxing streak by defeating Mike Tyson on points, taking his record to 11-1.
Paul, who transitioned from YouTube celebrity to boxer, has often faced skepticism regarding the caliber of his opponents; many are past their prime when they face him in the ring. With the aging Tyson, there was a similar sentiment, evidenced by some fans at the Dallas event exiting early during the headline fight.
Amid this context, McGregor threw out a flippant comment about Colon being the next target for Pauls bouts, posting: They are eyeing Prichard Colon for next opponent.
In a tragic turn for boxing, Prichard Colon was left paralyzed after sustaining a brain hemorrhage from his 2015 fight against Terrel Williams. The harrowing ordeal landed him in a 221-day coma, followed by a transition to his mothers home in Orlando, Florida, for ongoing care.
In the recent clash with Tyson that spanned eight rounds, Paul emerged victorious after receiving the judges favor on points. Despite his prior bold declarations to knock out Tyson, who is considerably his senior by 31 years, Paul didnt achieve that goal and has since lashed out at critics on various social media platforms.
Prichard Colon was paralysed following a fight in 2015 (
Getty Images)
He stated: I tried to give the best fight I possibly could, but when someones just surviving in the ring, basically its hard to make it exciting. So I couldnt really get him to engage me or slip shots and do something super cool or whatever, but I dont care about what people have to say. Theyre always going to have something to say and that it is what it is.
People just love to hate me. Im easy to hate and I intentionally say things to make people hate me. I play the heel, I feed into that, and thats just what I like to do and thats what entertainment is. And at the end of the day, I started as a 17-year-old in Los Angeles in the entertainment business.
But Ive been in this sport for four and a half years and have been so active doing every event, taking any fight possible. So if people want to see more or this challenge or fight this person, whatever it is, my response to them is just give him a couple more months. Im going to accomplish more things in just a matter of months and I plan on doing everything in this sport that there is to be done.