UFC legend Chael Sonnen has made a bold claim that Conor McGregor "beat up" Floyd Mayweather during his 2017 defeat.
McGregor made the switch from UFC to the boxing ring in 2017 being defeated by legend Floyd Mayweather in a high-profile event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He started brightly but was comprehensively stopped by Mayweather in the tenth stanza, who moved his professional record to 50-0 in his final fight.
The scorecards read 87-83, 89-82 and 89-81 Mayweather's favour at the time the contest was halted after dominating large parts of the fight. Sonnen has now claimed that McGregor was on the receiving end of poor scorecards from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. "12-to-1 underdog. That line is not going to hold, I'm telling you right now, but [Diaz] is a 12-to-1 underdog," Sonnen said during a YouTube video when comparing the boxing clash to Nate Diaz's upcoming fight with Khamzat Chimaev.
"Diaz was an 8-1 underdog. Now 11-to-1 is what Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather was. It closed to 8.5, but Conor was an 11-to-1 dog, went out, and beat up a guy for 30 minutes. [Mayweather] lost four of nine completed rounds. He got his a** kicked regardless of what the crooks in the Nevada State Athletic Commission told you that night."
It was widely recognised that despite showing positive glimpses, McGregor was outclassed by Mayweather, with the latter able to retire with 50 perfect victories after facing the Irishman. The pair generated huge revenue from the fight tagged as the "Biggest in Combat Sports History".
Mayweather earned an anticipated £220 million from the event while McGregor is expected to have taken away around £100 million despite the defeat. Since the loss, McGregor has returned to the UFC but has lost three of his last four fights.
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He is currently making a recovery from a broken leg he suffered last July against Dustin Poirier and was previously expected to make a UFC comeback. However, reports emerged last month that McGregor and Mayweather were holding talks over a rematch. McGregor appeared to hint at a second fight by posting "I accept" on social media.
More recently fresh reports indicated that the pair were 'very close' to signing off on a fight agreement worth up to £130 million for the pair. Despite UFC president Dana White dismissing the offer, McGregor previously suggested he was open to a ring return. "Boxing is my first love in combat sports," McGregor told Sky Sports.
"I had such a great time the last time I was out there. Obviously, my return will be in the octagon for UFC. That story is far from over, in fact it's just being written. It is just the beginning but boxing, for sure, I will grace the squared circle again in the future."
