Conor McGregor is willing to negotiate a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., but the MMA star has no intention of taking less money than Mayweather in any potential bout.
Mayweather has already said on numerous occasions that he would not come out of retirement for less than $100 million guaranteed. In an interview with ESPN’s Kenny Mayne this weekend, McGregor said he wants the same amount if not more.
“It was him that leaked the rumor. He gets $100 million and I get $7 million. That’s a pay cut for me. I don’t take pay cuts,” McGregor said. “I thought boxing was where money was at. The $7 million is absolutely laughable. He’s talking $100 million, I’m also talking $100 million. I’m 27 years of age and just about halfway through a $100 million contract. At 27 Floyd Mayweather was on Oscar De La Hoya’s undercard, so compare that.”
While $7 million for McGregor was the original number that was thrown around, that would never happen. A more recent report claimed Mayweather has offered McGregor $50 million.
McGregor wants more money because he believes he is just as big of a draw as Mayweather. Not only that, he thinks Floyd needs the fight more than he does.
“He’s getting old now. I have the size, I have the reach, I have the height. I have the youth. He needs me. I don’t need him,” the UFC featherweight champion said. “Who else can he fight? He fights someone else in the boxing realm, and all of a sudden the pay goes from $100 million to $15 million. He needs me. If he wants to talk, we can talk, but it’s me who’s in control here.”
As we have said numerous times, the odds of this fight actually happening are incredibly slim. Mayweather probably wants to build the hype and come out of retirement to go for his 50th win at some point, and that’s why he’s insisting a fight with McGregor will happen. McGregor, also a master promoter, did his part by sharing this poster on social media.
Fight fans — both boxing and MMA – should not get their hopes up.
