Conor McGregor: Floyd Mayweather trolls Notorious ahead of crunch court case
FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR has claimed Conor McGregor's name wouldn’t be so high on Forbes’ Highest Paid Athletes list if it wasn’t for him.
Last week, it was announced that McGregor was the fourth highest paid athlete of 2017, coming in just behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
McGregor’s placing on the list - in which he was higher than the likes of LeBron James and Roger Federer - was largely down to his multi-million-pound boxing match with Mayweather, which he lost via a tenth-round TKO.
And Mayweather believes the Irishman wouldn’t have been able to reach the upper echelon of the list if it wasn’t for their blockbuster fight.
"Number four, Conor is at number four because of me. Before we even fought, I was number one," the retired boxer told TMZ.
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"But, we both done big things in 2017. So it was great for both of us."
When asked if he thought McGregor could ever top the list, 'Money' added: "Absolutely not.
“Conor McGregor can never get to number one without Floyd Mayweather."
Conor McGregor goes on wild rampage during UFC media day
Conor is at number four because of me
Mayweather’s dig at McGregor came a little more than three days before the Irishman is due to appear in court to explain his actions at the UFC 223 media day in Brooklyn, New York.
McGregor was charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief for his antics at the Barclays Center, where he threw a Dolley through the window of a bus carrying his fellow fighters.
The UFC’s poster boy is set to meet the promotion’s president Dana White before his legal proceedings but won’t discuss his long-awaited return to the Octagon with his boss.
"I’m not expecting to hear anything from him,” White told TSN’s Kara Wagland. “We haven’t talked since the incident.
“We’re just going to get together in a room and talk. Obviously, that’ll be before his hearing.
“So I don’t think we’re going to talk about - we’re not going to talk business.”
McGregor, 29, hasn't set foot inside the Octagon since his momentous UFC 205 victory over Eddie Alvarez, a triumph which saw him become the first fighter in the promotion's history to hold two titles simultaneously.