A Timeline Of All The Best Trash Talk That Led To Floyd Mayweather Vs. Conor McGregor

It’s been a long strange trip getting us to where we are today, with Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor official and going down on August 26th from Las Vegas, Nevada. That trip began all the way back in the middle of 2015 and took just under two years to go from idea to a signed fight. Not bad for Mayweather, who took six years to finally fight Manny Pacquiao.

So how did this all come to be? How did possibly the biggest fight in combat sports history get made with so many moving parts in play? Let’s take a look at the timeline of the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight, largely through the words and quotes of the people directly involved.

July 2015

Leading up to a featherweight title fight with Jose Aldo (who would pull out last second with an injury), Conor McGregor appeared on the Conan O’Brien show and shared his thoughts on a hypothetical match up with Floyd Mayweather.

“Who would not like to dance around the ring for $180 million?” he said. “It is something that would appeal to me very much. But if we were to fight, I certainly know he would not like to step into my world, the world of pure unarmed combat where there are no limitations. But I most certainly would step into his world. And I would certainly box him if the opportunity arose, most certainly.”

“I’ve said it before, I don’t feel boxing is the style of fighting that can beat Floyd. But saying that, there are many, many forms of fighting that can beat him. So, if we were to get it on, I would certainly dismantle him, as well.”

January 2016

Floyd Mayweather goes off on racism in the sporting world, using the popularity of white athletes like Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor to make his point.

“I don’t really know the McGregor guy, never seen him fight,” he said. “They say he talk a lot of trash and people praise him for it, but when I did it, they say I’m cocky and arrogant. So biased! Like I said before, all I’m saying is this, I ain’t racist at all, but I’m telling you racism still exists.”

McGregor responded soon after on social media.

“Floyd Mayweather, don’t ever bring race into my success again,” he wrote. “I am an Irishman. My people have been oppressed our entire existence. And still very much are. I understand the feeling of prejudice. It is a feeling that is deep in my blood.”

“In my family’s long history of warfare there was a time where just having the name ‘McGregor’ was punishable by death. Do not ever put me in a bracket like this again. If you want we can organise a fight no problem. I will give you a fair 80/20 split purse in my favour seen as your last fight bombed at every area of revenue.”

May 2016

UK tabloid The Sun reports that a fight between McGregor and Mayweather is on the verge of being signed, but UFC president Dana White shoots the rumors down. Soon after, Floyd reveals he was the one spreading them.

“The rumors that you all have been hearing are the rumors that I started,” Mayweather said. “It may not be a rumor. Keep your availers crossed. It may be a boxer versus a MMA fighter.”

“If I do fight, it’s only against Conor McGregor,” he said later at a Showtime boxing event. “That’s gonna be my only fight and not against nobody else because this match-up is just so intriguing. You have a fighter against an MMA fighter, one of the best MMA fighters to do combat and stand up and do it. He’s a strong fighter, and when I look at him fight, he’s a little faster than I thought he was. So if the fight happens, I can’t overlook the guy. I’m pretty sure… if we make the fight happen, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna push me to the limit.”

Conor McGregor responded in the most Conor McGregor way, essentially saying “Show me the money!”

“He’s talking 100 million, I’m also talking 100 million,” McGregor declared. “I’m 27 years of age, and I’m just about halfway through a hundred million dollar contract. At 27 years of age, Floyd Mayweather was on Oscar De La Hoya’s undercard, so compare that. He needs me. I don’t need him. That’s the truth of it. 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. So he needs me. If he wants to talk, we can talk. But it’s me who is in control here.”

June 2016

“I don’t know what his angle is on this thing with Conor McGregor, but he’s not fighting Conor McGregor without calling me,” an exasperated Dana White said, pouring cold water on the red hot fight. “It’s not gonna happen.”

With that, things died down considerably.

“I think that contest will happen eventually but it’s on hold for now,” McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh said. “I’d be very surprised if it doesn’t at some stage. I think it’s a bigger fight; I think there’s a lot of intrigue about it. I could be 100% wrong. Right now we’re focusing on August 20th. We have an important rematch – a mixed martial arts fight – but if in time that fight was to be announced it would not surprise me and I think it would be an interesting one.”

August 2016

McGregor fires off a shot at ‘novice’ Floyd Mayweather.

“He’s a novice where I come from. He’s a phenomenal boxer, a phenomenal athlete. An intelligent business man. But he’s a novice in true fighting and that’s just simple fact. I don’t blame him for trying to make this set rules under the boxing rules. And like I said, I have no problem going over there. I would not show up unconfident. I would show up looking to kill that man and take that win down 100%. Why dominate one world when you can dominate two?”

“Look, if you wanna fight me, we can fight,” McGregor said. “If you need a specific ruleset to protect you from a true fighter, that’s no problem. Just make sure that money is there, and so long as that money is there then we can fight under your safety net of rules. But me, I don’t need rules. I am the f**king rules.”

September 2016

“I tried to make the fight happen between me and Conor McGregor,” Mayweather said. “We weren’t able to make the fight happen, so we must move on.”

October 2016

“Floyd’s afraid of a fight,” McGregor said. “Floyd doesn’t want the fight. Floyd wants a boxing match. And I’ve already said ‘No problem! Get my f**king money!’ You get my money, then we can box in this boxing match where you set up these specific rules that will keep you alive.”

“So I’m here,” McGregor finished with a shrug. “Where’s my money? Cuz if you keep dropping my name and you haven’t got the money then I’m gonna show up at your front door. So we’ll see. But Floyd does not want a fight. Floyd wants a match. Under a specific set of rules. I don’t need rules.”

November 2016

“Has he ever made 300 million in one night?” Mayweather asked angrily when a TMZ reporter compared him to McGregor. “Have you even made 100 million in one night. Have you ever made 70 million in one night. So as far as you trying to say he’s the Floyd Mayweather of MMA … I mean, it’s okay to say it, but it’s not true.”

“I think that it’s time for Conor McGregor to go out there and do what he do. But never compare Conor McGregor to me. It’s a total disrespect. Once again, I’m an elephant. Elephants don’t beef with ants. An elephant is so large, he don’t even see ants.”

A week later, McGregor applied for a boxing license in multiple states including New York and California.

December 2016

Mayweather offers his fans $10,000 for the best social media trolls of Conor McGregor.

“I ain’t never taking no L. I’m f**king McGregor up, too,” Mayweather yelled in a video call while on vacation. “Where’s punkass McGregor? Imma slap the s**t out of McGregor when I see him!”

“Floyd better hope he don’t run into Conor on the street,” Dana White responded. “Not only will Conor kick his ass, he’ll kick the sh*t outta every one of his security guards, too. I promise you, Floyd, you will never walk up and try to slap Conor McGregor.”

“I’ll tell you what, Floyd, here’s a real offer,” White later said through FOX Sports. “And I’m the guy. I’m the guy that can actually make the offer, and I’m actually making a real offer. We’ll pay you $25 million, we’ll pay Conor $25 million, and then we’ll talk about pay-per-view at a certain number. There’s a real offer, okay?”

Mayweather’s response?

“Aaah, he’s a f**king comedian!”

“I don’t want to talk to Dana White,” Floyd said soon after. “Remember, Dana White, he was a player, he was a boss. But he was a small boss. The big bosses were the Fertittas. But then the Fertittas chose to sell the UFC, so Dana is just an employee now. Dana White? I like Dana White, I don’t have anything against him. But I can remember Dana White used to hang around me and Jeff Mayweather and carry my bags.”

January 2017

Conor McGregor talks extensively about fighting Mayweather during his ‘An Evening With Conor McGregor’ pay-per-view, going so far as to suggest he’d do it without the UFC if he had to.

“But I think it’s smoother with all involved,” he admitted. “I think we’re all about good business. I’ve done great business with the UFC, with Dana and everyone. But again, everyone’s gotta know their place. So we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“That fight was more than just being explored. That fight has been in the works for a while now. There’s a lot of steps to get the fight done. But it’s the fight to make. It’s the fight that people want. It’s the fight that I want. It’s the fight that I’m confident going in there. I’ve got the reach. I’ve got the youth. I’ve got the unpredictable style. You can’t prepare for a style like me. … If Manny and Floyd did half a billion, I believe this one, cross sports, never before seen, this is the first billion dollar fight.”

“I’ve always shown Conor nothing but respect,” Dana White said when told about McGregor’s threat to cut out the UFC. “But if he wants to go down that road with us, let me tell ya, it’ll be an epic fall.”

February 2017

https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/831689263255166976

Conor McGregor heads to Las Vegas and claims it’s to sort out the details for a fight with Floyd Mayweather. Floyd avoids him, but talks up the fight on another Showtime boxing broadcast.

“I’m here to say today, 2-24 on my birthday, they keep throwing the Conor McGregor name out there,” he said. “Conor McGregor, like I said before, I’m here let’s make it happen. … Let’s give the fans what they want to see. There’s only one fight out there that’s important and that’s Mayweather and Conor McGregor. Once Conor McGregor speaks with the UFC and his bosses, then we can make it happen. Because we already know that Floyd Mayweather is his own boss.”

March 2017

“I don’t want to hear no more excuses about the money, about the UFC,” Floyd said in a video. “Sign the paper with the UFC so you can fight me in June. Simple and plain. Let’s fight in June. You’re the B side, I’m the A side. We’re not here to cry about money. I’m tired of all this crying about money and talking about you want to fight. You blowing smoke up everybody’s ass. If you want to fight, sign the paperwork, let’s do it!”

“Today, I’m officially out of retirement for Conor McGregor,” Mayweather continued. “We don’t need to waste no time. We need to make this s**t happen quickly. Let’s get it on in June.”

Rumors swirl that Mayweather Promotions has tentatively booked the T-Mobile Arena for June 10th and Floyd starts hiring training partners, including UFC fighter Kevin Lee. Even UFC president Dana White, who once said the fight was as likely as him quarterbacking during the Super Bowl, changed his tune.

“There’s so much money involved, I just don’t see how it doesn’t happen,” he said.

“Floyd doesn’t know what’s coming, the boxing world doesn’t know what’s coming,” Conor McGregor declared on St. Patrick’s Day in New York City. “When I step in there, I’m going to shock the whole world. Twenty eight years of age, confident as a mother, long, rangy, dangerous with every hand. I’m going to stop Floyd and you’re all going to eat your f**king words. The whole world is going to eat their words. [September] is what I’m thinking. That’s what the word is. That’s what we’re close to doing.”

April 2017

Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh reveals they’re already in full training camp for the fight.

“There’s different promotions, different organizations, different commissions that are involved,” he said. “But as far as I’m concerned, I really believe it’s going to happen this year, and that’s the mindset I have. Let the people in the suits worry about the paperwork. We’re training for it.”

“This guy has stepped up at times when people were at his level would never step up,” Dana White said, explaining his sudden change of heart. “I’ve said this a million times and I’ll say it again — I’m the guy standing in the living room, I’m the guy on the phone when these guys are looking down the barrel of a new opponent a week before the fight and Conor McGregor doesn’t flinch. … So for him to have this kind of opportunity, to make this kind of money, this type of a fight that people are so interested in worldwide, I almost feel like I have to make it.”

May 2017

Floyd Mayweather starts building Conor McGregor up as a legit threat, which means you know the fight is getting close.

“I can’t sit right here and knock Conor McGregor,” Mayweather said. “I’m not here to knock a guy who is the second-biggest name in MMA, so I’m not gonna knock Conor McGregor. It’s obvious he’s done something right thus far to get to the point that he’s at. I’ve been off for a couple years, and I’m 40 years old now. So, I’m a lot older and he’s still in his 20s. I’m in my 40s now. That can play a major key, I don’t know and he’s a heavy-hitter. He’s a fighter. Conor McGregor, every time he goes out there and defeats fighters, he’s standing up. He’s in a boxing position.”

Dana White reveals that the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin fight ‘stole’ their planned September 16th date for McGregor vs. Mayweather. Regardless, he goes on to sort out and sign a deal between the UFC and McGregor to let the fight happen.

“It’s either going to happen this year or it’s never gonna happen at all,” he said. “This isn’t something that I’m gonna spend a bunch of time on, like I’m not gonna dedicate the next three months of my life on it. Conor wants to fight twice this year and one of those fights is Floyd if possible.”

June 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N5KUCXP34wMayweather Promotions tips its hand by asking the Nevada State Athletic Commission to reserve August 26th for an event. The commission approves the date on June 14th and later that day Dana White goes on Sportscenter to announce the fight has been signed. You can read all the specifics regarding weight and rules right here.

“Conor told me this morning the McGregor clan has been taking over villages for 300 years,” he said. “And Floyd’s village is next.”