Floyd Mayweather rivalry with Conor McGregor? 'An elephant don't beef with ants'

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather wants anyone who compares him to UFC champion Conor McGregor to stop immediately.

Following McGregor’s (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) historic second-round knockout of Eddie Alvarez (28-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 205 pay-per-view headliner, which made him the first fighter in UFC history to simultaneously hold two belts, Mayweather (49-0 boxing) was approached and asked about “The Notorious.”

With McGregor a multi-division champion, the UFC’s highest-paid fighter, biggest PPV draw and most transcendent star the sport has seen, it’s easy to make comparisons to Mayweather, who was essentially all the same things for boxing during his 20-year run in the sport, which came to an end when he officially retired from competition in September 2015.

Some dramatic differences remain, though, from Mayweather’s superior record and mind-boggling paydays to the fact McGregor has led a quieter and less-controversial life outside of the sport.

But as far as fighting-related achievements, Mayweather dismissed any notion of that when approached by TMZ (via Twitter):

“I didn’t know Conor McGregor was undefeated,” Mayweather said. “I didn’t know that he had a reign in MMA for 20 years and undefeated and was world champion in five different weight classes. That’s something I didn’t know. I guess you guys is telling me something new if you say he’s the Floyd Mayweather of the MMA.

“If you saying he’s the Floyd Mayweather of the MMA, I’m trying to find out: Have he ever made $300 million in one night? Have he ever made $100 million in one night? Have he ever made $70 million in one night? As far as trying to say he’s the Floyd Mayweather of MMA, I mean, it’s OK to say it; it’s not true.”

This isn’t the first time Mayweather and McGregor have shared headlines. It surely won’t be the last either. Several recent months have consisted of headlines teasing a potential future fight between the two, with both sides expressing interest if the circumstances were right.

The barriers to overcome to bring such a fight to fruition are overwhelmingly great in number, though, and the topic has fizzled has McGregor has put his focus back on MMA.

Still, even if they never meet in a cage or ring, Mayweather doesn’t think the comparisons – at least in terms of star power – make sense.

“I’m a legend, a living legend,” Mayweather said. “The sport of boxing I gave years and years of hard work. It was blood, sweat and tears. Had a tremendous team, had a tremendous run.

“I think 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. An elephant don’t beef with ants. Elephant is so large he don’t even see ants.”

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

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