Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor: Everything You Need to Know for Megafight
Few believed that Floyd Mayweather Jr. was serious when he stated he was done with boxing after his 2015 match with Andre Berto. And why would they? Even at 38 years old and even with 49 fights on his pro boxing record, Money was still remarkably sharp in the ring.
His defense was still nearly impenetrable. His right hand was still nimble enough to reliably find its way to opponents' chins. And of course, there were still lucrative contests to be made.
Getting Mayweather back into the ring was always a matter of finding the right opponent and payday. Ironically, it took somebody from outside the ring to fit that bill. While the undefeated pugilist was enjoying life away from competition, a legitimate threat to his "King of Pay-Per-View" throne rose up in the realm of MMA. And rose up remarkably quickly.
Irish featherweight Conor McGregor exploded into the UFC in 2013 and was firmly established as one of the company's hottest commodities by the end of 2014. In 2015, he helped propel the UFC to its most successful year ever with his bouts against Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo. He was a snowball rolling downhill when the calendar turned to 2016, and he proved as much by breaking the UFC's buyrate record at UFC 196, doing so again at UFC 202 and capping off the year by becoming the first man to hold two UFC titles simultaneously.
That rise to the top, however, was so quick that he left the UFC's stratosphere entirely.
No contender had anything to offer to his bottom line. Hunting a third UFC title probably wouldn't have been much better. There was no big opportunity just on the horizon.
Sure, McGregor could have stayed the course. A fight with any of the no-namers that make up the UFC's rankings was still an all-but-guaranteed one-million-buy card. Booming business, however, has defined McGregor's career, and quietly plateauing isn't really his modus operandi.
Already high up on the mountain, McGregor set his sights for the peak, and Mayweather was happy to greet him.
For Mayweather, McGregor is just easy money; an out-of-his-depth opponent who just so happens to have a massive fanbase with lots of disposable income. For McGregor, this is an opportunity to take Money's spot as the kingpin of combat sports. On August 26, Mayweather will put his past on the line against McGregor's future in what will likely go down as one of the biggest contests in combat sports history.
Where and How to Watch
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Mayweather vs. McGregor is slated for August 26 in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena. As it stands, tickets are still widely available but start at an exorbitant $1,400 per seat and go as high as $16,000. Naturally, watching it from home will be considerably cheaper (though still relatively pricey) with the pay-per-view costing $89.95 in standard definition, and $99.95 in high definition.
The event can be acquired through traditional channels, including most major cable and satellite providers, as well as online through ShowtimePPV.com, UFC Fight Pass and the PlayStation Store. The full list of options can be found on Showtime's website.
Mayweather and McGregor aren't the only ones throwing down on Saturday night, however. In addition to three other pay-per-view bouts, there will be a preliminary card broadcast on Fox. Here is the full event schedule:
Pay-Per-View Card (9 p.m. ET)
- Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor (154 pounds, 12 rounds)
- Gervonta Davis vs. Francisco Fonseca (130 pounds, 12 rounds)
- Nathan Cleverly vs. Badou Jack (175 pounds, 12 rounds)
- Andrew Tabiti vs. Steve Cunningham (200 pounds, 10 rounds)
Fox Preliminary Card (7 p.m. ET)
- Yordenis Ugas vs. Thomas Dulorme (147 pounds, 10 rounds)
- Juan Heraldez vs. Jose Miguel Borrego (140 pounds, 10 rounds)
- Kevin Newman vs. Antonio Hernandez (168 pounds, 6 or 8 rounds)
- Savannah Marshall vs. Amy Coleman (168 pounds, 4 rounds)
The Fighter: Floyd Mayweather
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Age: 40
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 147
Reach: 72 inches
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 49-0 (26 KO)
Rounds Fought: 387
Trainer: Floyd Mayweather Sr.
In some ways, it's easy to be a Mayweather fan.
In the ring, he is truly exceptional. Unpredictable head movement and a textbook shoulder roll make him nearly impossible to hit cleanly. And when an opponent tries? A quick, accurate right hand awaits. The result has been a perfect 49-0 record, a collection of titles and a slew of other awards and honors.
Just as impressive as his in-ring skills is his business savvy. In a historically exploitative niche of athletics, Mayweather has gone from being a pawn on Top Rank's chess board to a king to an actual player. In addition to being the most successful and most-watched boxer of the last decade, his business, Mayweather Promotions, is one of the most powerful entities in the sport, netting Mayweather the hundreds of millions of dollars that earned him the "Money" nickname.
In other ways, however, it's difficult to be a Mayweather fan. While his in-ring accomplishments are beyond question, he has disappointed fans on a number of levels.
His words have turned off many aficionados over the years with mic work that has ranged from needlessly disrespectful to uncomfortably racist. For a length of time, he had an equally bad reputation in the ring with infamous moments including a sucker-punch knockout of Victor Ortiz, his entourage's storming the ring during his bout with Zab Judah and his repeated elbowing of Ricky Hatton.
And the shadow looming over all this is his lengthy history of violence against women, which he has been aggressively unrepentant about.
While this contest primarily serves as a surefire nine-figure paycheck for Mayweather, this bout may help to keep that darkness from completely eclipsing his in-ring legacy. Going 50-0 would generate some positive headlines, and he hasn't had many of those in the last three years.
The Fighter: Conor McGregor
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Age: 29
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 155 pounds
Reach: 74 inches
Stance: Southpaw
Record: 0-0 (0 KO)
Rounds Fought: 0
Trainer: John Kavanagh
McGregor's ability to pull off the seemingly impossible has defined his entire run in the UFC.
People said he couldn't beat a high-end wrestler, then he knocked out Mendes. They said he couldn't be champion, then he finished Aldo in 13 seconds. They said he only got by on his size, then he moved up a weight class and became the first man to hold two UFC titles at the same time.
His triumphs haven't just been in the cage, however. While systematically proving his naysayers wrong on every allegation, McGregor deepened his roots in the sport by knocking down traditional UFC barriers and blew up as a mainstream icon with his bombastic smack talk. The result was something never seen before in MMA; an athlete with the in-cage credibility, massive following and unhindered ambition to drag the UFC in whatever direction he chose.
With that in mind, it was unsurprising when the long-rumored bout between McGregor and Mayweather was officially announced. Mystic Mac just has a way of turning fantasy into reality.
Of course, he's tasked with performing the biggest magic trick of his career August 26. Despite being an exceptionally skilled striker in the realm of mixed martial arts, he will holster many of his best offensive weapons for a boxing match with the greatest pugilist of his generation.
Because of that, the odds are stacked against McGregor in a huge way. Sure, his left hand is dynamite, and all signs point to his making serious strides in the ring, but victory seems all but impossible on paper.
But once again, McGregor's entire run in the UFC has been defined by his ability to pull off the seemingly impossible. Would it really be all that surprising if he did it again?
Betting Odds
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One of the most interesting storylines surrounding this fight has been the betting odds.
On paper, this contest is an egregious mismatch involving a 49-0 all-time great and an untested debutant, The odds reflected that, too, opening with Mayweather as an enormous -7000 favorite (win $1.43 for every $100 bet) and McGregor a +1100 underdog (win $1,100 for a $100 bet). In the weeks since, however, a tidal wave of money has come in on McGregor to the point where this contest looks like bettors expect this to be somewhat competitive.
As of this writing, there are lines as close as -333 (win $30.03 for a $100 bet) vs. +250 (win $250 for every $100 bet), implying that McGregor has a better shot at besting Mayweather on August 26 than Marcos Maidana, Miguel Cotto or Juan Manuel Marquez did in their fights with him. In fact, by fight night, there is a strong chance McGregor will have better betting odds behind him than Canelo Alvarez did when he battled Mayweather in 2013.
Surrounding these is a large number of prop bets ranging from legitimate "X's and O's" material such as punch accuracy and shots landed to "fun" bets like whether McGregor will do his Vince McMahon walk before the fight.
There are a lot of numbers to pore over on this topic, however, and more analyses on the lines for Mayweather vs. McGregor can be found on Bleacher Report's betting guide.
Odds provided courtesy of OddsShark.
Timeline
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The story of Mayweather vs. McGregor is a fast-paced one. In January, UFC President Dana White was using the fight as a punchline on talk shows. By July, he was pulling the two apart at press conferences.
But while the turnaround on Mayweather vs. McGregor was quick, the UFC's attempt to cut itself a slice of the Money Team's pie is a decade-old tradition. With that in mind, it's worth taking a look back on the history between these parties, and look at the steps that led to this fight.
April 2007
Ahead of Mayweather's breakout fight with Oscar De La Hoya, the boxer questions the legitimacy of UFC fighters as combat athletes. White responds by saying Mayweather should "put his money and his ass where his mouth is" and face at-the-time UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk.
May 2007
The Mayweather vs. Sherk story continues as Sherk sits ringside for Mayweather vs. De La Hoya. Mayweather wins the bout via split decision, but the discussion of Mayweather's competing in the UFC cools...for a time.
December 2007
While the Mayweather-UFC talk fizzles, the talk about his competing in MMA does not. In a strange twist, Mayweather ends up in relatively advanced discussions about a jump to cagefighting with Dallas Mavericks owner (and Dancing with the Stars rival) Mark Cuban. No bout happens, however, as Mayweather instead winds up facing the Big Show at WrestleMania 24 while Cuban faces the UFC in court.
June 2008
After Mayweather's sudden retirement from boxing and his part in the MMA-themed reality show Iron Ring, rumors swirl that a heavily hyped major UFC announcement is, in fact, Mayweather putting pen to paper with the promotion. Instead, the UFC reveals that owner Lorenzo Fertitta will be taking a more hands-on role with the promotion, disappointing MMA fans who were expecting something bigger.
September 2009
Mayweather comes out of retirement to face Juan Manuel Marquez on the same night as UFC 103. White uses a perceived lack of fan enthusiasm surrounding the Mayweather bout to promote his event, stating "Boxing is doing it to you again. They're giving you the fight that you don't want."
February 2012
Tensions rise between the UFC and The Money Team after White blasts Mayweather for derisive comments regarding basketball player Jeremy Lin. While Mayweather says nothing in response, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe fires back with gusto.
March 2014
Seven years after the push for Mayweather vs. Sherk, a radio interview with Ronda Rousey takes on a life of its own. Asked if she could defeat Mayweather, Rousey discussed how she could out-grapple the boxer in an MMA bout, sparking an out-of-control "what if" discussion that lingered for well over a year.
July 2015
The Mayweather vs. McGregor seeds are planted during a McGregor interview with Conan O'Brien. "I certainly know he would not want to step into my world...but I would most certainly step into his world," he said when asked about a potential contest with Money. "I would certainly box him if the opportunity arose. Most certainly."
May 2016
Amid an ugly battle between McGregor and the UFC surrounding his scrapped bout at UFC 200, British tabloid The Sun reports Mayweather vs. McGregor is all but a done deal. While White flatly states there is no truth to the story, both men publicly express their interest in the contest, with Mayweather claiming to have been behind the rumors and McGregor tweeting out a mock poster.
June 2016
The UFC and McGregor eventually mend fences, and a rematch with Nate Diaz is scheduled for UFC 202 in August. McGregor goes on to win via split decision.
November 2016
Just weeks after capturing his second UFC title, McGregor is unceremoniously stripped of the UFC featherweight championship by the promotion. He seemingly responds by obtaining a California state boxing license, restarting the Mayweather vs. McGregor discussion.
January 2017
Speaking with ESPN, Mayweather begins to discuss specifics on the purse split, offering McGregor $15 million to his guaranteed $100 million. White, shockingly, counters by offering both men $25 million guaranteed plus pay-per-view points. Mayweather immediately refuses, leaving a frustrated White to say that the chances of the fight are about as good as "me being the backup quarterback for Brady [at the Super Bowl]."
February 2017
An ominous Instagram post showing McGregor alongside now-former UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta hints that negotiations may have turned a corner.
March 2017
In a whiplash-inducing 180, White begins discussing Mayweather vs. McGregor as a certainty, saying "I just don't see how it doesn't happen."
May 2017
McGregor and the UFC "come to terms" on a contract that would open the door for him to compete in boxing.
June 2017
After days of rumors that the deal was sealed, news breaks from a number of reputable sources that Mayweather vs. McGregor is finalized for August 26.
The Stakes
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Mayweather vs. McGregor is a blockbuster event, and there are more than a few stakeholders involved. While the two competitors are the ones putting their lives on the line, they carry their sports' reputation into the ring with them. Because of that, it's worth discussing what they, and those around them, stand to gain or lose.
Floyd Mayweather
In theory, Mayweather has a great deal at risk in this fight. A large part of his brand is tied to his perfect record, and The Money Team is already prepping to roll out 50-0 merchandise commemorating his breaking Rocky Marciano's 62-year-old undefeated record. With that kind of record on the line, there's no pretty way to take a loss...but being felled by a 0-0 McGregor would undermine the legitimacy of his entire career.
That said, this article isn't previewing a bout involving Floyd "Records" Mayweather or Floyd "Legitimacy" Mayweather. This is Floyd "Money" Mayweather, and win or lose, he stands to live up to his nickname on August 26.
If he wins, he launches a new wave of merchandise and cashes a nine-figure check for his efforts. If he loses? His undefeated streak vanishes, but he still cashes that nine-figure check and then gets to look forward to a blockbuster rematch. Quite simply, even if Mayweather loses, he still wins.
Conor McGregor
Like Mayweather, McGregor is basically in a no-lose situation. Even if he gets steamrolled in the ring, it does little to hurt his brand in MMA circles, and he still walks away a much, much richer man. Unlike Mayweather, however, McGregor stands to gain a whole lot in victory.
In the same way Mayweather used Oscar De La Hoya as a trampoline to jump to new heights of drawing power, McGregor is looking to use Money as a launchpad for himself, only from a much higher starting point.
If McGregor pulls off the upset, he instantly becomes the biggest star in boxing, as well as MMA. He'll be called out by everyone from frustrated former champion Paulie Malignaggi to UFC contender Tony Ferguson to the winner of Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin. And of course, his asking price for a fight will rise tenfold.
There is little to lose for McGregor, but so, so much to gain.
The UFC
In the short-term, Mayweather vs. McGregor is a major windfall for the UFC. It loans out one of its athletes for this bout and rakes in tens of millions of dollars for an event it has no real hand in. Money for nothing, essentially.
There are, however, a few different ways that this could come back to bite the UFC, and MMA as a whole.
First and foremost, if McGregor takes a lopsided, ugly loss, it will reflect poorly on the sport. It wouldn't necessarily be a devastating blow to its reputation, but with this event being marketed primarily to the most casual of fans, there will be more than a few water coolers across the nation with discussions of how "those UFC guys can't fight" the following Monday.
Second, if McGregor manages to win, there is a real chance his days as a mixed martial artist end. As stated, in victory McGregor instantly becomes the top star in boxing and will have a number of opponents lining up to face him. With the UFC committed to an oppressive pay structure, McGregor stands to make significantly more off a ho-hum boxing match than a blockbuster MMA fight, and unless that changes, there is little incentive for him to get back into the cage.
Finally, if the fight ends up being a boring affair in either direction, expect business to take a dip in both boxing and MMA in the immediate aftermath, similar to what boxing experienced following Mayweather's 2015 match with Manny Pacquiao.
Boxing
Mayweather stands to gain a lot. McGregor stands to gain a lot. The UFC stands to gain a lot. The rest of the boxing world, though? It's picking up the check for this event.
From a quantitative perspective, this bout is troublesome for boxing promoters. Shortly after this match was made official, De La Hoya (the head of Golden Boy Promotions) railed against it, likely due to the hit he stands to take from boxing fans who will be less than inclined to buy his Alvarez vs. Golovkin pay-per-view the following month. He likely isn't alone, either; that depression could stretch on for a length of time, depending on how the match goes.
From a qualitative perspective, things could end up even worse. While McGregor is an accomplished mixed martial artist, there are few ways to spin someone from another sport's walking in and defeating the greatest boxer of the last 20 years in his first match. While it's not fair, this would be a hard shot to boxing's reputation among casual fans that could linger for the foreseeable future.
Predictions
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From a technical perspective, Mayweather is light-years better than McGregor. His 49-0 record speaks for itself, but between the hard numbers are consistently amazing performances against stiff competition.
Mayweather doesn't hold every card, though. While Money has more finesse, McGregor has the edge in pure physicality. He's taller, longer and stronger. He's 11 years younger than Mayweather and, most importantly, McGregor's the largest opponent he has faced in a very, very long time and will likely step into the ring weighing upward of 170 pounds courtesy of his aggressive, MMA-style weight cutting.
With those two factors in mind, the question heading into August 26 is: Can McGregor improve his pure boxing fundamentals to the point where he can maximize his athletic advantage?
To this point, things seem to be trending in the right direction. While McGregor has historically been wildly disrespectful toward his sparring partners from the boxing world, both Malignaggi and Chris Van Heerden have been generally positive in their assessments of McGregor's in-ring skills, despite having axes to grind. While neither is giving him much of a chance against Mayweather, there is apparently enough of a progression for fans to hold out hope that McGregor can pull off one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
Make no mistake, though: That's precisely what a McGregor win would be.
Even 40 years old and rusty from two years off, Mayweather is still likely one of the greatest boxers on the planet. McGregor, meanwhile, is still just a few months deep into his full-time boxing training.
In all likelihood, McGregor has it in him to post a respectable performance. He should be able to pressure Mayweather early and land some good shots in the process. From there, however, the fight will be all Mayweather. He will make the adjustments, find his timing and completely control the second half of the bout.
The door is cracked open for McGregor to land something big in the first few rounds. It will close quickly, though, and that makes a clean decision win for Mayweather the most likely outcome.
Further Reading
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Bleacher Report has been delivering in-depth coverage of The Money Fight. For those looking for more information, here are some highlights:
The History
- How I Learned to Stop Hating and Admit Floyd Mayweather's a Boxing Revolutionary
- Before Mayweather-McGregor: History's Most Famous, Notorious Crossover Fights
- 7 Boxing vs. MMA Fantasy Fights That Would Have Rocked
- True Stories of the Incredible, Unbelievable, Unstoppable Conor McGregor
- How Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Made the Impossible Fight Happen
- On Conor McGregor's Unfathomable Rise in Modern Sports Culture
- Conor McGregor Is Floyd Mayweather's Perfect Final Opponent
- Conor MMA's Biggest Rags-to-Riches Story Yet—He Just Needed Boxing to Do It
The Nitty Gritty
- Chill, McGregor Fans: 8-Ounce Gloves Give Him No Extra Advantage vs. Mayweather
- Where Would a Conor McGregor Win Rank Among Combat Sports' All-Time Upsets?
- 5 Reasons Conor McGregor Maybe, Just Maybe, Can Defeat Floyd Mayweather
- Lessons for Conor McGregor to Learn from 10 Floyd Mayweather Fights
- Conor Has All He Needs to Shock Floyd and the World—Except Boxing Acumen
- Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor: Inside the Numbers Around Megafight
The 'What If' Questions
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