Conor McGregor has abandoned the UFC featherweight championship after failing to defend the title that he won in December of 2015. While McGregor still holds the lightweight championship, relinquishing the featherweight belt means he can now focus on choosing his next opponent. And that could very well be Floyd Mayweather.
According to a report from Sky Sports, the retired boxing superstar and former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather have named Conor McGregor as "the only fight he (Mayweather) would consider returning for." The UFC star, as per his trainer John Kavanagh, implied that McGregor is only interested in this potential blockbuster fight if the prize purse is evenly split.
Just a few weeks ago, Conor McGregor successfully defended his UFC lightweight crown against Eddie Alvarez in a brutal fashion. McGregor ended that title fight in the second round. Meanwhile, Mayweather was last seen attending the Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao's comeback fight in Las Vegas, fueling speculations that "Money May" is interested in a rematch against the Filipino Senator.
The undefeated boxer has reportedly given up on trying to set up the cross-sports megafight against McGregor. With McGregor stripped of the featherweight championship and just recently defended his lightweight title, the only fight that is appealing to the UFC star is a megafight against Mayweather.
McGregor, as per ESPN, have reportedly stated his terms to fight Mayweather. McGregor announced that he wants $100 million if the fight is to occur in a boxing ring and not in the octagon. Mayweather has long since moved on, however. The USA Today reported that Mayweather is unlikely to come out of retirement. Mayweather insists that he "won't fight Manny Pacquiao again or anyone," effectively killing both megafights.
While McGregor has been relentless in his tirades to land a fight against Mayweather, "Money May" seems to have no interest in getting in the ring against "The Notorious." And McGregor said he knows why "Pretty Boy Floyd" is not keen to fight him. "I want $100 million cash to fight him under boxing rules because he's (Mayweather) afraid of a real fight," said McGregor. McGregor added "He wants it under boxing rules. He wants a boxing match. He doesn't want a fight."
While Mayweather has said comparing him to McGregor is a disrespect to him, the "money man" can't avoid his name to be dragged into McGregor's corner. After all, they are both at the pinnacle of their respective sports, or in Mayweather's case, was. Mayweather is retired but no one can deny the star power he brings to the table. That said, McGregor looks like he's trying to cash-in a huge paycheck. Especially after Dana White stripped him of his UFC featherweight crown.
