Floyd Mayweather claims he offered UFC champ Conor McGregor $15 million to fight

And on goes the saga of Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.

The retired boxing kingpin and UFC lightweight champ continued their dance in the media, with Mayweather stopping by ESPN headquarters to claim he offered McGregor $15 million for a boxing match.

The $100 million number McGregor recently fired off to Mayweather at a club? Well, that was the right figure, but the wrong fighter.

Conor McGregor

“We tried to make the Conor McGregor fight,” Mayweather told ESPN. “They know what my number is. My number was a guaranteed $100 (million). That’s my number. We’re the ‘A’ side, and I don’t really know how much money Conor McGregor has made; I’m pretty sure he hasn’t even made $10 million in an MMA bout. But we are willing to give him $15 million, and then we can talk about splitting the percentage – the back-end percentage on pay-per-view.

“But, of course, we’re the ‘A’ side. How can a guy talk about $20 (million) or $30 million if he’s never even made $8 (million) or $9 million?”

There’s no way to verify how much McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) has actually made while fighting for the UFC, though he’s broken records for disclosed purses and, according to documents, singlehandedly helped the promotion bounce back from a tough year on pay-per-view. The all-important thing to note is that he remains under contract, which means Mayweather would need to work out a deal with UFC President Dana White before the fight was ever a reality.

White has gone from inviting Mayweather to talk to chuckling at both fighters. During a media scrum this past month in support of UFC 207, he was hit with more questions on a potential superfight. He called it “highly unlikely.”

“There’s nobody better at staying relevant when they’re not doing anything than Conor and Floyd,” White offered. “They’re both masters.”

And that’s where Mayweather’s recent interview comes in. Still retired after an unbeaten streak, he only has to start talking to keep his name out there.

“I’m saying, Conor McGregor keeps telling everybody he wants the fight,” he said. “Let’s make it happen.

“Does he want to fight? Absolutely not. I’m trying to see if he really wants to fight, but he can’t make the fight happen, because he’s not his own boss, and I want the world to know this. Just two fights ago, he was just tapping out. He was just quitting … Call me what you want to call me, but I’m not a quitter. I don’t quit.”

Although Mayweather admits he didn’t see McGregor’s rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 202, he even dropped a nugget about a FaceTime conversation with the latter.

“Nate Diaz even talked to me about coming to box,” Mayweather said. “It’s something positive. I encouraged them – don’t worry about nothing. Everything happens for a reason, and you should be a-OK.”

Diaz also remains under contract with the UFC, so you know how that one ends. But in the meantime, Mayweather will keep dancing. All McGregor has to do is respond.

Officially, the Irish champ is off for what could be 10 months as he prepares for the birth of his first child. But you know he won’t miss the opportunity. Mayweather certainly wouldn’t expect him to.

“If Conor McGregor is stealing the Floyd Mayweather blueprint, as far as with the cars and the jazzy dressing, I can’t knock him,” Mayweather said. “He’s doing the right thing. He’s doing what he’s supposed to do, no different from every fighter (who) piggybacks off the Mayweather name. They’re supposed to.”

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