Ahead of his big return against Max Holloway at UFC 329 next weekend, Conor McGregor furthered an interesting claim about a blockbuster crossover fight with three-division undisputed champion Terence Crawford.

According to what the Irishman told Ariel Helwani, he had negotiated a deal with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh for the $200 million two-fight deal with Crawford, where one fight would be in MMA and one in boxing. Despite the lucrative offer, however, McGregor stated that the decorated boxer turned it down. Following the UFC star’s revelation, the 38-year-old retired boxer has now spoken out about the claim, accusing the Dublin native of lying about the deal.

“That was a lie. It was a cap,” Crawford told Ariel Helwani. “There was never no $200 million offer. They asked me what I’d do, and I told them, ‘You ain’t about to be kicking on me, Conor.’ We were on FaceTime, and I did tell him that. But they didn’t say, ‘Hey, you got $200 million. You fight him in boxing and fight him in MMA.’ That was never the case. If it was said to me, I could say there was an offer, but if nothing is privy to me, I can’t say what is what. He’s making up numbers in my head.”

Hearing the response, Crawford didn’t exactly dispute McGregor’s claim that negotiations took place for a crossover fight. However, the Omaha native did imply that the “$200 million offer” was never made to him. In that sense, Crawford suggested that ‘The Notorious’ lied and made up the figure. It’s also worth noting that the chief negotiator, Turki Alalshikh, has remained silent on the matter so far, leaving the true value of the proposed offer unclear. But considering their reported $400 million four-fight deal with Canelo Alvarez, it’s not far-fetched to assume that the Saudis would’ve shelled out the money to see it happen if Crawford ever agreed to it.

But, Crawford did make one thing clear: if they had actually offered him $200 million, he would’ve accepted the fight with McGregor at the time.

“Yeah, I would have done it,” Crawford added. “Why wouldn’t I? I don’t need to do it [today after retiring]. Back then, it would have been a good deal. Right now, I don’t need to do it. That’s the thing. I’m in a different space in my life right now, where I don’t have to take those fights.”

Well, Terence Crawford reportedly made $50 million for fighting Canelo Alvarez at Allegiant Stadium last year. With that, along with his various brand deals, it’s clear that the Omaha native is enjoying the fruits of his labor now. So, it makes sense that the former undisputed champion no longer needs to put his health at risk for a substantial payday that he has already earned.

Still, ‘Bud’ went one step further and also opened up about taking the fight with Conor McGregor, not just from a financial standpoint but also from a stylistic perspective.

Terence Crawford believes he could’ve taken Conor McGregor in MMA

At first, Crawford was skeptical about his chances of facing Conor McGregor in an MMA fight. This proved the reason why he likely rejected it. However, the former champion now believes he could actually knock out the former two-division UFC champion with one good shot, allowing him to avoid all the dangers of kicks, elbows, knees, and takedowns that come with fighting inside the cage.

“Conor’s not the best wrestler,” Crawford stated in the same interview. “I’m not saying I’m the best wrestler either, but I know standing up it’s only going to take one good shot, and I’m going to put him to sleep. He’s going to try to kick me, and takedowns—we’re just going to do what we do.”

Well, that’s a good amount of confidence coming from someone who has never stepped foot inside the cage. But considering the level of skill Terence Crawford is operating on, maybe it’s true—against Conor McGregor, one good shot may be all he needs. But it also has to be acknowledged that ‘Bud’ has a wrestling background, and that certainly gives him a slight edge over most boxers if they ever dare to compete inside the cage. But it’s also worth considering that the Irishman famously fought Floyd Mayweather in 2017 in one of the biggest crossover spectacles ever. So he, too, has some experience when it comes to fighting inside the squared circle.

Even though the controversy surrounding the crossover fight could hint at a future clash, Conor McGregor is currently bound to the UFC with two fights remaining on his contract. So, only if both the UFC and Crawford show genuine interest in making the matchup happen could it become a reality. Outside of that, it remains a fantasy.