Conor McGregor shuts door on rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr says “Not Interested”
Conor McGregor has ruled out a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. after he hinted at a rematch with Connor in 2023.
McGregor, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight winner, wrote ‘Not Interested’ in a since-deleted Instagram post, which included a photo of his first battle with Mayweather in 2017.
🇩🇴 🥊 pic.twitter.com/qoMhLMcMCx
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 25, 2022
Mayweather’s fight with McGregor in Las Vegas in 2017 was his final professional fight, and he retired with an undefeated record of 50 victories. Mayweather defeated McGregor in this pay-per-view boxing-UFC crossover.
This boxing match drew over 4.3 million pay-per-view purchases and saw both combatants walk away with a consolidated $410 million fight purse, making it one of the most extravagant fights in combat sports history. Since then, Mayweather has had three exhibition fights that were not officially sanctioned and did not affect his historic record.
Not interested ✌🏽 – Conor McGregor #MayMac pic.twitter.com/8yeXN9N8y4
— McGregor Fact (@McGregorFact) September 21, 2022
McGregor, on the other hand, is 1-3 in the Octagon since fighting Mayweather, with defeats to Khabib Nurmagomedov and twice to Dustin Poirier. McGregor is currently sidelined after breaking his leg in his UFC fight against Dustin Poirier last July. In May, the former UFC champion told journalists that his boxing career was far from over.
On Saturday, Mayweather, 50-0, came back to the boxing ring for an exhibition match against Japanese MMA fighter Mikuri Asakura. He won the bout by TKO in the second round. On Nov. 13, the boxing legend will compete in another exhibition match against British YouTube star Deji Olatunji, KSI’s brother.
Meanwhile, Mayweather has stated that he would prefer to fight McGregor in an exhibition match.
He stated to reporters: “I don’t like fights where I have to take a lot of punishment. So, guys like McGregor and guys who don’t hit hard, like YouTubers or UFC fighters, I don’t mind colliding with them, but not in a way that puts me in a position where I’m going to harm myself or hurt myself.”
That, of course, assumes that the two will meet again. It’s unclear whether Mayweather was just fishing for McGregor’s enthusiasm in a rematch and public interest in such a fight, or if McGregor was denying his enthusiasm as a publicity stunt or a bargaining tactic.
