The most improbable fight, an all-time great in Floyd Mayweather taking on Conor McGregor in his pro boxing debut, ended in the most predictable way. Money Mayweather dominated and stopped McGregor by TKO in the 10th round of their hyped junior middleweight clash before 14,623 fans, well under T-Mobile Arena’s capacity. With the win, Floyd Mayweather pushed his record to a historic 50-0 with 27 knockouts and announced his retirement. “This was my last fight tonight. For sure,” Mayweather said afterward.

That victory not only allowed Floyd Mayweather to surpass Rocky Marciano’s legendary 49-0 mark, but also earned him a staggering $280 million payday. Conor McGregor, the UFC’s lightweight champion at the time, still walked away with $130 million, though he had no real chance against one of boxing’s greatest. Despite the buzz and underdog support, Floyd Mayweather’s class and experience eventually took over after a slow, calculated start. Now, eight years later, Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen are revisiting the fight, pointing out how the very bout that made The Notorious rich also derailed his UFC career for good.

What if Conor McGregor had taken Floyd Mayweather to the final bell?

On the latest episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy on ESPN MMA, Daniel Cormier asked Chael Sonnen if the $130 million Conor McGregor earned from his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather was the moment the UFC “officially lost” its biggest star. Sonnen agreed, saying the money changed everything. “Yes, I believe that we could,” Sonnen admitted, explaining that the spectacle was hyped up more than reality and that the financial details were used for press.

Chael Sonnen also questioned the legitimacy of the reported payouts, claiming the business side was exaggerated. “Floyd got paid 280 and Conor got paid 140. And they made sure that we all knew that… but they never told us who signed the front of that cheque,” Sonnen said. He suggested that while McGregor and Mayweather walked away with life-changing money, the actual figures might not have been as clear as promoted.

Reflecting on the fight itself, Sonnen wondered how different things could have been if McGregor had lasted longer. “If Conor had hung in there, those three more rounds… if that would have gone to a decision, what if it would have gone Conor’s way?” Sonnen said, describing it as one of those “what could have been” scenarios. Still, he admitted that Dana White and the UFC enjoyed the attention, even if the outcome wasn’t favorable.

Daniel Cormier, however, made the bigger point about McGregor’s career decline after Floyd Mayweather. He explained that while the boxing match boosted McGregor’s profile globally, it took something away from him as a fighter. “Competitively, he never was the same,” Cormier said. He added that boxing gloves allowed The Irishman to take more punishment from one of the best boxers ever, and although McGregor beat Cowboy Cerrone afterward at UFC 246 on January 8th, 2020, “that was it after he fought Floyd.”

However, Conor McGregor is now on the verge of shaking up the UFC once again. The former two-division champion has re-entered the testing pool, silencing critics, and is training harder than ever. Sporting a Robert De Niro–style “Taxi Driver” mohawk on the White House South Lawn during America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, he’s sending a clear message that he’s serious about making a successful return to fulfill his UFC contract. But it seems Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather is still accused of ruining boxing forever.

Boxing skills alone don’t guarantee victory

A few days ago, Chael Sonnen used his Beyond the Fight podcast to deliver a blunt take with the title: “Jake Paul vs. Tank Davis Su– a–.” In his breakdown, Sonnen compared the matchup to the infamous Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor crossover fight. He pointed out that while McGregor and Mayweather also had a weight discrepancy, it was relatively small. “I mean, I watched them weigh in. It was like 8 lbs. It was very small, but you understood that Conor was pulling to those 8 lbs and he might put on another 10, and it could be an 18 lbs difference. Like never has that ever come up in fighting,” Sonnen explained.

Sonnen then highlighted what he believes was the real disappointment from that fight. “Eventually Conor and Floyd fought and everybody goes, ‘Oh crap, this thing, the sport that we truly believed in, turned out to not be as real as we hoped,’” he said. To him, the bout exposed an uncomfortable truth: having better boxing skills doesn’t always guarantee victory. He elaborated, “In fact, if you confirm the rules and just make it boxing rules, being a better boxer than these guys does not even mean you can beat the guy up under those rules.”

For Sonnen, the night was a “colossally disappointing moment” for boxing. His reasoning? “Floyd needed 30 minutes to get rid of a guy who had never done the sport before.” In his view, the fight left boxing looking vulnerable and raised doubts about its authenticity. That said, do you agree with what Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen said about the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor bout?