Floyd Mayweather Says He’d Give Conor McGregor $15M for a Fight
There’s been talk for a while now about a fight between retired boxer Floyd Mayweather and UFC star Conor McGregor. Last November, McGregor said that he wanted $100 million, which is the same amount of money Mayweather wants if he’s going to come out of retirement for the fight. When asked about it recently, Mayweather had a counter offer waiting. He said McGregor could get $15M and then they’d also split up the money made from pay-per-view sales.
Mayweather, known for how much money he’s made and his undefeated record at 49-0, scoffed at the idea that the much younger McGregor could even make $20 million or $30 million, pointing out that he had never even made $9 million in one shot before.
At UFC 202, McGregor did take home $3 million, which is a record for the sport. Despite the rise in popularity of MMA, though, it doesn’t pay out nearly as well as boxing. For example, in the final win before he retired, Mayweather earned $300 million in one evening.
Mayweather did say that he had an interest in fighting McGregor, even though he seemed to have a bit of distain for the UFC champ. He noted that it made business sense — in that it would be a highly hyped fight that could earn them both a lot of money — and that he was a businessman. However, he seemed adamant that he should be paid far, far more. Considering that $100 million would be a third of what he earned in his last fight, he’s probably not going to go lower than that.
So, will McGregor take the bait? He can legally box in California now, having gotten the right licensing. And, even though he may feel slighted to earn so much less than Mayweather, he would still be making the most money of his career by a long shot.
Of course, it does sound like the fight would be a boxing match, not an MMA fight. That makes a huge difference. Some have speculated that either athlete would win at his respective sport, giving Mayweather the edge if McGregor is only allowed to box. MMA is more versatile and offers a lot more fighting options, but it’s not what Mayweather does.
If this fight is going to happen, considering Mayweather’s age — he’s 39 — it has to be soon. The two appear to be circling each other, but it’s not yet clear if they’ll end up in the ring.
Either way, if you’re interested in boxing or MMA, you’ll be glad to know that we have premier boxing tickets and MMA tickets for a terrific price.
