Conor McGregor Taunts While Floyd Mayweather Denies Any Fight Deal
Floyd Mayweather says the fight with Conor McGregor that many news outlets were reporting isn’t happening. Mayweather’s announcement via social media denied any claims that a deal with McGregor had been reached between the two for a boxing match.
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) February 14, 2017
Conor McGregor took to social media himself, seemingly taunting Mayweather for his announcement that there was no fight on the horizon.
I am in Las Vegas. Floyd has retired on my arrival. pic.twitter.com/z9EcxBJaDr
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) February 15, 2017
Conor continued the taunting with a follow up tweet calling Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather’s home, his city.
enjoying my city pic.twitter.com/DSqKwOWVL3
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) February 15, 2017
Mayweather seemed to reach his breaking point with McGregor’s bragging antics when he responded with another tweet with Floyd encouraging Conor to get his UFC business in order before trying to branch out into the world of boxing.
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) February 15, 2017
Mayweather’s advice to McGregor may be a result of what UFC president Dana White had to say about the fight announcement. According to TMZ, when asked today about the Floyd Mayweather/Conor McGregor match up, White had two simple words to say about it, “No deal.”
A match up between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather has been teased to fight fans for quite some time. Floyd and Conor have taken social media jabs at each other for months making the fight seem inevitable, especially considering how well the online argument evolved into a bonafide fight between Soulja Boy and Chris Brown, which Mayweather is promoting.
And according to Forbes, McGregor even obtained a boxing license from the state of California back in December. Mayweather was puzzled by the move because he is licensed to fight in Nevada.
Dana White reportedly tried to facilitate a matchup in January, offering McGregor and Mayweather $25 million each to take the match. While that was more than eight times the amount Conor was offered for his last UFC fight, it was substantially less than the amount Floyd was used to. Mayweather called White’s offer a joke at the time.
Because Conor McGregor is contracted with the UFC, Dana White can’t be thrilled with the possibility that Conor would trade the octagon for the ring and risk potential injury. The UFC was dealt a significant blow to its star power when Ronda Rousey’s return to the octagon was stymied by a 48-second knockout by current women’s bantamweight champ, Amanda Nunes. Rousey and McGregor have been the biggest PPV draws for the organization and without Ronda, Conor seems to have them in a chokehold.
But Rousey was afforded more leeway in her last fight than McGregor has been given in the past. When Conor McGregor refused to do the press junket to promote his rematch against Nate Diaz, Dana White pulled him from the card. McGregor tried to use his popularity as leverage to get his way by first posting on social media that he was retiring and then going so far to congratulate Dana White on making the decision to put him back on the fight card even though White did no such thing.
McGregor’s past antics of providing false information can’t help but make fight fans wonder if the story that a deal had been brokered between Conor and Floyd Mayweather is nothing more than his same attempt to force a deal.
According to The Irish Sun, the news source that broke the story of the McGregor and Mayweather super fight, though no documents had been signed an unnamed source close to Conor confirmed that details of the fight had been worked out but a third party was holding up the signing of official paperwork. Considering McGregor is from Ireland and has a history of speaking out of turn, one can’t but wonder if this was Conor’s way of first taunting Floyd Mayweather out of retirement and second, getting Dana White to cut him some slack on the UFC contract.
Conor McGregor is supposedly in Las Vegas to work out an issue with the Nevada Athletic Commission. McGregor had thrown a water bottle during his press conference with Nate Diaz and the NAC slapped Conor with a fine and community service. If McGregor fulfills this, it could mean he would be eligible to obtain the boxing license he needs to fight Floyd Mayweather. That is, if Floyd Mayweather wants to come out of retirement.
Mayweather finished his boxing career with a perfect record. Whether or not he is dodging McGregor and the possibility of tarnishing that record remains to be seen. But for now, Floyd Mayweather is adamant that he is retired and enjoying it.
[Featured image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images]
