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COULD FLOYD MAYWEATHER FACE CONOR MCGREGOR IN THE OCTAGON?

By Jason Kendall on 2/12/2018 1:01 PM

Could Mayweather Face McGregor Again in the UFC?

Floyd Mayweather Jr and Conor McGregor have been going at it again online, as speculation regarding a rematch refuses to go away in the sporting world. 

The American boxer comfortably dismantled and stopped UFC star McGregor last year, in a fight which caused plenty of drama and excitement in the build-up, but played out exactly as the majority had expected – with a routine knockout success for Mayweather. 

However, despite there being seemingly no interest in a second scuffle between the pair in a boxing ring, Mayweather has continued to generate interest in potentially donning MMA gloves and contesting 'the Notorious' inside the Octagon.

It seems a farfetched idea, but Mayweather, known as 'Money', is clearly obsessed with his next pay cheque, and that could be enough to tempt the undefeated fighter into a new skillset.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. by So Max O (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Mayweather rallied to a record of 49-0 when outpointing Andre Berto back in 2015, but came out of retirement to earn over £100 million in a one-sided match-up against McGregor, who had shot to sporting stardom in the absence of the American. 

The five-division world champion was an obvious overwhelming odds-on favourite to prevail with William Hill in that initial big-money meeting with former UFC featherweight and lightweight title holder McGregor. 

Although, crossing over to MMA would undoubtedly see McGregor take to any second match-up between the pair as the front runner for success inside a cage. Would Mayweather be mad to make such a bold career move at some stage during 2018?

The now 40-year-old had clearly lost an edge during that initial clash in the ring with McGregor, but it didn't matter in the eventual outcome, as he overcame the Irish boxing debutant and ran off into the sunset with a mammoth fight purse. 

McGregor is still yet to feature again, either in the boxing ring or the UFC Octagon, since that loss at the hands of 'Money' Mayweather. A meeting with either Russian grappling threat Khabib Nurmagomedov or dangerous puncher Tony Ferguson has been tipped for his MMA comeback, while a trilogy encounter against old foe and long-standing rival Nate Diaz is another possibility for the deadly Dubliner.

Meanwhile, Paulie Malignaggi has called for a boxing match in a bid to settle his differences with McGregor over the previous sparring scandal during the build-up to the Mayweather bout last year. The Irishman is unlikely of stepping in the boxing ring ever again, though. 

The two men have been sparring verbally online with a host of Tweets aimed at each other regarding a "real fight" inside the Octagon, with Mayweather having even started such a feud by claiming he was set to cross over to the sport. 

Whether or not it's a publicity stunt or not, Mayweather has been busy pushing his former opponent and continues to tease a high-profile switch of codes. Having been a dominant force in boxing for over two decades, the undefeated fighter risks putting his legacy on the line for one more big payday if he is seriously considering moving over to face McGregor in the UFC.