Conor McGregor's Instagram Post Sparks Speculation That Agreement With Floyd Mayweather Is Coming

Conor McGregor hasn’t fought in six months, but the UFC fighter continues to make news. The latest comes from a simple Instagram post, which has fans thinking that a boxing match between the UFC lightweight champion and Floyd Mayweather could be made official sooner rather than later.

Sunday night’s post featured just four words, but that’s all McGregor needed to get more than 650,000 likes in just 14 hours. It got fans even more excited about the possibility of seeing McGregor square off with Mayweather in 2017, and the fight appears to have a better chance of being made with each passing day.

READ: Floyd Mayweather Says How Conor McGregor Could Beat Him In Boxing

After months of McGregor and Mayweather trading barbs through the media, the two sides have reportedly begun actual negotiations. A source told the Los Angeles Times Thursday that “discussions to make the fight are underway,” with UFC ownership group WME-IMG and Mayweather manager Al Haymon in talks to get a deal done. The report stated that UFC president Dana White wasn’t involved in the discussions, though White denied that claim.

The L.A. Times reported that Mayweather and McGregor were targeting early fall for the fight, though an earlier date might not be out of the question. The Irish Mirror reported Monday morning that Mayweather has booked the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for Aug. 26.

This isn’t the first time that a date has supposedly been set aside for the potential mega-fight. A few months ago, FloCombat noted that T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was reserving June 10 for McGregor vs. Mayweather, though the date has come and gone with no bout being agreed upon.

If McGregor and Mayweather do come to terms, they will almost certainly agree to fight in Sin City. It’s where Mayweather has competed in his last 14 fights, and the MGM Grand has been the site of his last 12 bouts. Four of McGregor’s last five fights have been in Las Vegas, and he applied for a Nevada boxing license in May.

The biggest holdup in getting a deal done has been regarding the split of the purse, though those details are seemingly being ironed out. McGregor and UFC have come to terms on their side since the MMA star is still under contract with the company. Mayweather has demanded to get the majority of any pay-per-view revenue, which will exceed just about every fight in the history of combat sports.

It will certainly generate more money than any UFC card ever has. UFC 205 was the last pay-per-view headlined by McGregor, and it set a record with a $17.7 million gate. It might have drawn more buys than any UFC PPV in history, though the company doesn’t release exact numbers.

READ: Dana White Slams Rumor About Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor Deal

Mayweather is the biggest PPV draw of all time, and his fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2015 set a record with a reported 4.6 million buys. The fight grossed $600 million, and Mayweather earned more than $200 million for one night of work.

A McGregor-Mayweather fight might not put up the same kind of numbers, though it will outperform any other card that’s ever been put together.