Floyd Mayweather took to social media posting inflammatory videos via Periscope and Instagram to call out UFC Champion Conor McGregor. Fight fans have been itching for a Mayweather versus McGregor match up for quite some time and both Conor and Floyd have been vocal about wanting to make the fight happen.
Conor McGregor sparked rumors last month that he may be coaxing Mayweather out of retirement when news broke that McGregor had obtained his California boxing license. According to MMA Fighting , McGregor’s license was issued just after the UFC stripped Conor of his featherweight title after the UFC refused to let the fighter hold titles in two weight classes.
Though the California State Athletic Commission didn’t reveal an opponent for McGregor, executive officer Andy Foster hinted that Conor would need a high-level opponent to take on in his new sport of boxing sparking speculation that Floyd Mayweather Jr. would soon be throwing his hat in the ring. According to Yahoo , UFC President Dana White stated the MMA crossover to boxing fight between McGregor and Mayweather “ain’t happening,” but apparently Floyd didn’t get that message.
According to Fox Sports , Floyd Mayweather was irritated that McGregor chose California as the state to get a boxing license in because Mayweather Jr. isn’t licensed there.
“He don’t really want to fight because I went to his boss. He don’t really want to fight,” Mayweather lamented according to an interview with Fight Hype . “He’s just doing that to keep his name alive, you know what I’m saying, to stay relevant. He don’t really want to fight. He’s doing that building his followers, but he’s smart.”
And Mayweather could be right. Conor McGregor has been known for his showmanship and ability to build up hype for his match-ups. McGregor caused waves within the UFC earlier this year when he refused to do the press junket for his rematch with Nate Diaz, the only opponent he had ever lost to. When the UFC announced the fight was pulled from the card due to McGregor’s failure to comply with publicity appearances, Conor took to social media himself to announce his retirement out of spite. The animosity between McGregor and the UFC was short-lived, however, as the rematch was rescheduled for a later event, drawing huge ratings and allowing Conor to avenge his loss.
McGregor also grabbed the attention of competitors, fans, and the UFC alike last month when he became the first person in the UFC to win titles in two different weight classes. Despite McGregor’s obvious appeal, however, Floyd Mayweather Jr. still holds the distinction of pulling in nearly four times the money in pay-per-view revenue that McGregor generates. Mayweather’s pre-retirement bout against Manny Pacquaio scored around $400 million compared to McGregor’s best haul in UFC 194 of $90 million. And as if their octagon/boxing ring skill wasn’t enough to market a fight, both Mayweather and McGregor are masters of the smack talk to promote them.
In a video shared on YouTube by FightHype.com of a Periscope session with Floyd Mayweather, the boxer went off on a profanity-laced tired about fighting McGregor stating, “I’m gonna slap the s*** out of McGregor,” among other things.
Check out the video below (Warning. Some viewers may find Mayweather’s profane language offensive):
Hours later, Mayweather took to his Instagram account to share video of McGregor being submitted by Nate Diaz. In the video, Conor McGregor taps out while Floyd laughs and ends it with the tagline “The Notorious Quitter.” Mayweather Jr. encouraged fans to caption the video, offering a $10,000 prize for the best caption.
While McGregor has yet to respond to Mayweather’s latest diss, it’s unlikely he will let it go by unnoticed. In fact, with Conor McGregor you never know. He may try to caption the Instagram video himself just for a chance to grab Floyd Mayweather’s money. But until we get an official announcement of a legitimate fight between the two, it seems this beef between Mayweather and McGregor will live in infamy like the one between Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg.
Do you think Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor will ever go toe to toe in the ring? Tell us what you think!
[Featured Image by Isaac Brekken and Christian Peterson/Getty Images]