Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor: Start Time, PPV Cost, TV Info

The biggest fight of 2017 and possibly the No.1 pay-per-view of all time is finally almost here. Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor will go head-to-head Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, pitting the greatest boxer of his generation against the biggest star in UFC history.

It all starts at 9 p.m. EDT on Showtime PPV with three undercard bouts preceding the main event. Watching the fight on TV will cost fans $99.99, making for a potential record-setting night. Preliminary bouts are scheduled to start on FOX at 7 p.m. EDT, and those fights can be seen with a free live stream online with FOX Sports GO.

It was less than two and a half years ago that Mayweather made history with the biggest PPV ever. Despite the same hefty price tag, 4.6 million homes bought the boxer’s super-fight with Manny Pacquiao on May 2, 2015. That almost doubled the previous record for PPV buys, and the event generated $600 million in revenue.

With so much buzz surrounding Saturday’s fight, there’s a real chance new records will be set. The live-gate mark of $72 million is expected to be broken, and some believe Mayweather-McGregor could generate as many as five million PPV buys.

If the projections are correct, Mayweather and McGregor could leave the PPV with combined paydays of close to $400 million. Three-quarters of that would belong to Mayweather, who made well over $200 million for his fight with Pacquiao. McGregor is certain to get the biggest check of his career, and a $100 million payday would be far more than any MMA fighter has ever received for a night’s work.

Mayweather and McGregor have both promised the fans a show. Much of the public felt cheated after watching Mayweather and Pacquiao fight a largely uneventful 12-round bout in 2015.

The undefeated boxer hasn’t had a knockout in six years and is known for his defensive skills rather than his power. McGregor’s MMA fights are usually action-packed, and he scored knockouts within the first two rounds of his last two championship fights.

“This fight won't go the distance. Remember that, no matter what his coach say. His coach can't fight for him. When it comes down to it, it comes down to the two fighters. I just said what I said [about winning by knockout]. This is how I feel,” Mayweather told ESPN.com Wednesday.

“I say I guarantee it won't go the distance. He says it's not going the distance. I say it's not going the distance. So it's obvious we going to come out from the opening bell and drop bombs.”

Boxing and professional wrestling announcer Mauro Ranallo will call the play-by-play on PPV for Showtime. He’ll be joined by color analysts Al Bernstein and Paulie Malignaggi, who has found himself in a feud with McGregor following two sparring sessions with the UFC star. Host Brian Custer, ringside reporter Jim Gray and unofficial scorer Steve Farhood will also be part of the broadcast team.

Saturday marks Mayweather’s first fight in two years, last stepping in the ring when he beat Andre Berto to improve his record to 49-0 on Sept. 12, 2015. McGregor won the UFC lightweight championship in November, and he’s never competed in a professional boxing match.

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