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Conor McGregor Interested In Floyd Mayweather Jr. Fight If The Price Is Right, Says ‘He Needs Me, I Don’t Need Him’

By Shaunee Flowers
Published on: 10:31 PST, May 22, 2016

Whether it actually happens or not, Conor McGregor is interested in a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. The reality of such a fight seems grim, considering that McGregor is still under contract with the UFC. While McGregor and Mayweather have made it clear that they want to fight each other, they don’t agree on the terms or each other’s value, which is upping the ante on the drama between the two.

Last month, Conor McGregor was written off the UFC 200 ticket and his fight against Nate Diaz was canceled after he tweeted about retiring early. McGregor says that he wasn’t trying to cause trouble or lose out on the UFC fight by speaking out on Twitter. He had been involved in a disagreement with the UFC about where to train and decided to make a statement about the three-city tour that he was asked to be a part of according to ESPN. While McGregor says that his relationship with the UFC is good, fans still wonder if there is any way he can wiggle out of that contract in order to step into a boxing ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The MMA fighter responded to comments made earlier by Mayweather about the possible payout if there was a match between the two champion fighters. Apparently, Mayweather made a comment about how he would be worth a $100 million purse where McGregor would only pull $7 million if they were to fight. Conor McGregor responded to that claim in an ESPN interview with Kenny Mayne when he said, “I hear the boy talking. It was him that leaked the rumor that he’d get $100 million, I’d get $7 million. That’s a pay cut for me. I don’t take pay cuts. I thought boxing was where the money was at. Seven million is absolutely laughable.”

Conor McGregor took the opportunity to talk a bit of trash back to Floyd Mayweather Jr. during his interview. “He’s talking $100 million,” McGregor said. “I’m also talking $100 million. I’m 27 years of age and I’m just about halfway through a $100-million contract. At 27, Floyd Mayweather was on Oscar De La Hoya’s undercard, so compare that.” That is when McGregor talked about how Mayweather is retired now and in order to make a comeback and keep on fighting he says, “He needs me. I don’t need him.”

Showtime Executive Vice President Stephen Espinoza is a close friend and confidant of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Espinoza says that Mayweather is also interested in a fight with Conor McGregor if the price and terms are right. Of course, it’s easy to say that when McGregor’s UFC contract seems to be in the way. The Los Angeles Times reports that Espinoza has been talking up a possible fight between McGregor and Mayweather. So far, even Espinoza feels like the UFC is not interested in such a match up and would get in the way of allowing McGregor to battle in any ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Would Mayweather still be talking about a Conor McGregor match if there were no obstacles to stop it from happening?

“He seems to be very interested in McGregor — in public settings and private settings,” Espinoza said. “With nine-figure purses, that’s Floyd’s way of saying he’s only going to come back for a big, huge, worldwide-level event. He’s not going to come back for something ordinary. He’s saying, ‘I will come back for something extraordinary that’s going to make everyone sit up and take notice.’ I think that’s what he’s looking to do.”

Given that both Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are interested in fighting each other on some level, should the UFC either step aside and let them box or include Mayweather in a UFC bout in the near future. Tell us what you think of a possibly McGregor versus Mayweather matchup in the comments section below.

[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]

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