Conor McGregor wanted to go out on back, but Floyd Mayweather says future 'saved' by stoppage

LAS VEGAS – Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor have differing opinions about the validity of the stoppage which ended “The Money Fight” on Saturday.

After McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) had a strong start to the highly anticipated boxing match, Mayweather (50-0 boxing) took over the latter rounds and eventually finished the fight by TKO in the 10th frame.

Although UFC lightweight champ McGregor was not knocked out cold or even dropped to the canvas, the referee decided he’d taken enough punches that stepping in was warranted. There’s no doubt “The Notorious” was in a troublesome spot, but he said he wanted a more decisive result.

“I thought it was a little early on the stoppage,” McGregor said post-fight. “I get a little wobbly when I’m tired. But get me in the corner and I’ll recover and I’ll come back. There’s a lot on the line here – he should have let me keep going until I hit the floor. I was just a little fatigued. He was a lot more composed, especially in the later parts of the fight.”

Mayweather defeated McGregor in the pay-per-view headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, pushing his perfect record and winning streak to 50 consecutive fights. The bout marked the end of Mayweather’s combat sports career, but Mcgregor still has a lot more fighting ahead of him.

The 28-year-old may disagree with the way the fight ended, but Mayweather said his take on the situation is wrong. McGregor would likely have been able to have more peace of mind had he been put away in a more thorough manner, but Mayweather reminded him that taking additional damage is not best for his long-term interests.

Mayweather is confident that if the fight weren’t stopped things would have gotten worst before they got better, and for that he said McGregor should be thankful, not frustrated.

“I hear him talk about, ‘Oh, he should have let me go out on my back or go out on my face,'” Mayweather said. “No. The referee saved you because the referee is thinking about your future. You’re still young and we want you to be able to fight again someday.”

For more on “The Money Fight: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor,” check out the MMA Events section of the site.