Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather will never happen, but UFC champ says he might show up at boxing great's front door

UFC featherweight champ Conor McGregor knows undefeated boxing great Floyd Mayweather will never fight him under MMA rules. “The Notorious” has said he’s willing to box Mayweather, but there’s no way UFC officials will ever allow that to happen. So why the hell does everyone keep talking about it?

Well, for starters, neither McGregor (20-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) nor Mayweather (49-0 Boxing) can stand to let pass an opportunity to fire off a verbal jab at one another.

During a recent Facebook Live Q&A session with the U.K.’s The LADbible, the UFC featherweight champ was asked directly, “Will a fight between you and Floyd Mayweather ever happen?” While a simple, “No,” would have done the trick, McGregor did what McGregor does and seized the moment to add a little more fuel to the fire between these two unlikely rivals.

Floyd Mayweather

“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 (expletive) money, and when you get my money, then we can box in this boxing match under this set of specific rules that will keep you alive.’

“So, I’m here. Where’s my money? Because if you keep dropping my name and you haven’t got my money, then I’m going to show up at your front door.”

The link between McGregor and Mayweather was strengthened earlier this year when the UFC champ openly quarreled with his employers, teasing his retirement and ultimately being pulled out of a planned appearance at UFC 200. A bogus report from a U.K. tabloid said the two athletes were in talks for a megafight, but that turned out to be – quite predictably – untrue.

Still, when asked about the boxing great, McGregor – ever the enterprising businessman – refused to completely rule it out.

“Floyd does not want the fight,” McGregor said. “Floyd wants a match under a specific set of rules. I don’t need rules, so I’m open.

“Let’s see what happens. Right now it’s just talk.”

Check out the full Q&A below.

McGregor, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings, returns to the octagon on Nov. 12 in the pay-per-view main event of UFC 205, where he meets current lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

For more on UFC 205, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.