Leonard Ellerbe sees a pimp in Conor McGregor, not a racist.
Ellerbe is the CEO of Mayweather Promotions and helped play a role in putting together McGregor vs. Mayweather for Aug. 26. Some fans and media members have been crying foul over “Notorious'” antics throughout this tour.
On the first two days of the tour, McGregor told “Money” to, “dance for me boy.” To some that line was simply trash talk, to others it went back to a term used during times of slavery. McGregor threw fuel to the fire during the third press conference, saying he was black from the waist down.
While the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder has been criticized, Ellerbe doesn’t share the opinion that McGregor’s jokes have racial undertones (via MMAJunkie.com):
“He knows better. He knows what he’s doing. He’s pushing the envelope a bit. He knows what he’s doing. I’m just laughing at his outfit. He’s a cold pimp. It takes a lot of nerve for a guy to come up on stage and do that. You’ve gotta give it (to him): He knows what he’s doing. I started laughing. My first reaction (to his coat) was, ‘He’s a cold pimp.’ That was my first reaction.”