Floyd Mayweather Jr. Calls out Conor McGregor for Retiring Without a Rematch

Conor McGregor might have announced his retirement Sunday morning, but Floyd Mayweather Jr. wondered if the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion could still have some unfinished business.

McGregor shared a photo of a retirement cake he received to his various social media accounts.

Mayweather commented on Instagram and hyped up a possible rematch:

From the moment McGregor signaled his intentions, many wondered how genuine he was. He retired for the first time in April 2016 and then again in March 2019.

According to ESPN's Ariel Helwani, McGregor's representatives had been in discussions with UFC about a July fight but were unable to reach any sort of agreement. The identity of his opponent—not financial details—was the biggest source of the impasse.

Given his popularity and drawing power, walking away from the sport is McGregor's best leverage in any negotiations.

Perhaps fighting Mayweather could be his next step. The two faced off in August 2017, with Mayweather securing a 10th-round TKO.

McGregor referenced an "inevitable rematch" on Twitter in May and said he'd come out on the winning end the second time around:

Both stars would have a vested interest in exploring another encounter.

The full payouts weren't disclosed, but ESPN's Dan Rafael reported Mayweather was guaranteed at least $100 million and McGregor took home a minimum of $30 million.