Former two-division world titleholder Carl Frampton is a Conor McGregor fan and says he is not only revolutionizing mixed martial arts, but boxing too.
While some in the boxing world are dismissing McGregor's fight with Floyd Mayweather as a money-grabbing mismatch, Frampton is looking forward to it and will fly out from Northern Ireland to Las Vegas to watch the junior middleweight contest at the T-Mobile Arena on Aug. 26.
Ireland's McGregor, the UFC lightweight champion who has never boxed professionally, will face American Mayweather in a fight that has divided opinion but could break the record [the Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight in 2015 generated $623.5 million in revenue] for being the richest in history.
McGregor, 29, from Dublin, will earn at least $100 million even though bookmakers have placed heavy odds on him being able to beat Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs), a world titleholder in five different weight divisions and considered the best boxer of his generation.
But featherweight Frampton (23-1, 14 KOs), 30, from Belfast, has no problem with the fight or hype after a foul-mouthed, international media tour that visited four cities in as many days earlier this month.
Frampton is excited about the fight, even if he thinks it will not be much of a contest.
"I think Conor's brilliant," Frampton told ESPN. "He's a showman, he's mental and he's a maniac. I really like him and I'm going out to watch it with some of the others [fighters] from our gym, like Josh Taylor, Conrad Cummings and our wives. We're going out for a mad weekend.
"I don't think the fight is bad for boxing, it's an event, and I'm looking forward to it. As a boxing match, it's a mismatch but you have to give it to Conor McGregor. He's making his boxing debut and he's talked himself into a $100 million pay day. Good luck to him."
For a prediction, Frampton is trying to be as polite as he can be.
"I hate saying who's going to win but it's hard to look past Mayweather, he's just too good.
"Boxing and MMA are two different sports, so if I'm being honest, if Conor lands a glove on Mayweather he will be doing very well.
"If Mayweather makes fighters like Manny Pacquiao and Canelo [Alvarez] look ordinary, what can Conor McGregor do? But it's unfair because you are talking about two different sports."
McGregor, who calls himself The Notorious, sent Frampton a good luck message before the Northern Irishman lost his WBA world featherweight title to Mexican Leo Santa Cruz in Las Vegas in January.
Frampton, who fights Andres Gutierrez at the SSE Arena in his home city of Belfast on Saturday, has yet to meet McGregor but says appearing on the same bill as his fellow Irish fighter is now a possibility.
"It's going to break pay-per-view records, this could be the start of something new. In 10 years' time this could be the norm with guys fighting from UFC fighting boxers," Frampton told ESPN.
"Conor said it's great working with Mayweather and Al Haymon, so maybe something could be done in the future with UFC guys on the same bill as boxers.
"I've not met Conor yet. He's sent me a few messages wishing me good luck before fights and I would love to meet him. I would love to [go] on a night out with him. It would be mad."
Frampton's fellow Belfast boxer Michael Conlan (3-0, 3 KOs) was accompanied to the ring by McGregor when he made his professional debut as the main event at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York on March 17.
Bantamweight Conlan, who asked his friend McGregor about appearing on the undercard on Aug 26, is also struggling to see how the UFC star can beat Mayweather.
"Conor's Irish, and I back Conor 100 percent," Conlan told the Belfast Telegraph.
"It's almost an impossible task. It has been an impossible task so far, so you can't really go out on a limb and say Conor's going to win 100 percent."
But another Irish boxer, Donegal middleweight Jason Quigley (13-0, 10 KOs), is backing McGregor to knock out Mayweather, who is looking to extend his unbeaten record to 50-0.
"People will think I'm crazy and people will go mad about this, but mark my words, Conor McGregor is going to knock Floyd Mayweather out cold," Quigley told Sky Sports.
"Floyd is moving on in his career, he's getting past it a little bit now. He keeps himself well, don't get me wrong, but Floyd Mayweather won't hurt or won't damage Conor McGregor.
"In the UFC, the stuff they go through on the ground with knees and elbows, everything, I think Conor McGregor is definitely going to open a lot of eyes. He's going to make history and be the first man to knock Mayweather out cold."