Conor McGregor may be the UFC Lightweight Champion, fighting with intensity that has never been matched by any other mixed martial artist; however, when he stepped onto the boxing ring on August 26, 2017 in Las Vegas, he showed that he belongs in the MMA cage instead. His opponent also helped him realize that.

Floyd “Money” Mayweather was looking to extend his undefeated boxing streak of 49-0 to 50-0 in order to pass Rocky Marciano as having the greatest record of all time. After discussions in March 2017, Mayweather and McGregor agreed to battle each other on the boxing ring. McGregor, a 29 year old inexperienced boxer, was about to face up against one of the greatest boxers of all time.

The build up to the event was the exciting part as Mayweather and McGregor displayed their spite for one another in press conferences and on social media. As a result of the hype, the boxing match is now referred to as “The Biggest Fight in Combat Sports History”. Several individuals made multimillion dollar bets on Mayweather winning the match and the guaranteed disclosed paychecks for Mayweather and McGregor were $100 million and $30 million, respectively.

Finally, the day came where the two titans fought on the field. Although most of the crowd was supporting Mayweather, Irish fans of McGregor also crowded the T-Mobile Arena and supported their homeland hero. In the first three rounds, McGregor showed aggressiveness and eventually tired out – he fell right into Mayweather’s trap. Over the course of the next seven rounds, Mayweather mercilessly went at McGregor and attacked with different combinations. By Round 9, it was evident that Mayweather was looking for a KO (Knockout) and he viciously aimed for McGregor’s head every time he attacked. Finally, in Round 10, Mayweather finished McGregor off with a series of punches and the worn out McGregor lost after the referee stopped the match.

The toughness of McGregor did represent the solidity of his boxing debut. In addition, McGregor landed more punches on Mayweather than legend Manny Pacquiao did against Mayweather in the ‘Fight Of The Century.” This emphasizes how McGregor fought well against Mayweather and ultimately failed to produce a victory. After the fight, Mayweather added on to his legacy and stated that he will be retired for good from the field of boxing. Though Conor McGregor lost the match, he should not feel like a loser after seeing the money and the respect he has earned from the match.