McGregor taunts Mayweather on social media as UFC 329 return draws near

Conor McGregor is winding up his pre-fight mind games ahead of UFC 329, and his latest target is a familiar one. With his return to the octagon less than two weeks away, “The Notorious” took an unprompted swipe at Floyd Mayweather, reacting to a 2018 clip of the boxing legend strolling around an MMA cage with a “tears of joy” emoji.

The video dates from shortly after the pair’s August 2017 boxing match, in which Mayweather wore McGregor down before stopping him in the 10th round. The bout was one of the highest-grossing combat sports events in history: Mayweather’s declared payout was $100 million to McGregor’s disclosed $30 million, though both fighters reportedly earned considerably more — Mayweather an estimated $280 million and McGregor around $130 million. Talk of a follow-up MMA contest circulated in the aftermath but never materialised.

McGregor (22-6) has not competed in MMA since suffering a broken leg during his trilogy defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. The Dubliner was a simultaneous featherweight and lightweight champion at the peak of his UFC career, but his comeback fight on 11 July is booked at welterweight — a division above where he made his name.

Standing across from him at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will be Max Holloway, the former featherweight champion who has reinvented himself as a welterweight contender. UFC 329 marks McGregor’s first appearance under the UFC banner in five years, and the social-media needle aimed at Mayweather suggests he is already in full promotional mode.