After months of training and talking, sparring and spite, Floyd Mayweather stopped Conor McGregor in the 10th round of their Las Vegas blockbuster on Saturday.
Following a bright start, the UFC star fatigued badly in the middle rounds and became easy pickings for Mayweather before referee Robert Byrd stepped in.
As the dust settles on the money-spinning showdown, Sportsmail takes a look at the options that both men have before them after the conclusion of this dramatic campaign.
Floyd Mayweather stopped Conor McGregor in the 10th round of their Las Vegas showdown
The UFC star fatigued badly and referee Robert Byrd stepped in with Mayweather in control
Floyd Mayweather
Two years on from hanging up his gloves following victory over Andre Berto, Mayweather’s ring career now looks set to be over for good.
The former five-weight world champion extended his exceptional unbeaten record to 50-0 on Saturday and, in so doing, surpassed the great Rocky Marciano. But after looking every bit his 40 years at times during the T-Mobile Arena clash, Mayweather reiterated his desire to walk away from fighting.
So, what next for the man they call ‘Money’?
Future Opponents?
Mayweather insists that this time he really is retiring from the ring. But could this Money man resist a really special offer for one last battle? Maybe not but this is unlikely to happen, with McGregor undoubtedly being the most profitable potential opponent around.
Despite forecasts that the fight will be the richest in ring history, there is unlikely to be the same public appetite for a rematch. So ‘Money’ agreeing to another dance with McGregor would come as a suprise. The chances of it happening in the Octagon are even more remote.
McGregor would be another payday for ‘Money’ but the public appetite would be dampened
Business
Mayweather promotions continues to expand and Floyd has 40 fighters signed to his company, most notably Gervonta Davis, a powerful and talented super-featherweight with a remarkable record in his young career.
He has also recently opened a Girl Collection strip club in Vegas, in a building once listed for sale for $2.9 billion.
According to Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, Floyd’s property empire includes a number of joint-owned properties in Times Square, New York as well as his own mansions.
Mayweather is now likely to focus his efforts on his business interests outside of the ring
Ellerbe also claims that the fighters out of ring investment earns him a cool seven-figure cheque each month.
Floyd also has his own gym, Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas and he also enjoys a great deal of financial gain from his merchandise brand The Money Team.
Furthermore, according to Forbes, Mayweather is set to launch his new company, Mayweather Boxing & Fitness, with an app where the user is trained by an in app simulation of Floyd, using his own workouts.
The controversial fighter is also looking to exploit the virtual reality market through this, with an in-home workout set for release next year.
‘Money’ owns a strip club called ‘Girl Collection’ in Las Vegas that he’ll turn his attention to
A flagship gym set up is also set to follow the launch of the app, designed for group fitness boxing workouts. Mayweather’s company are looking to open up a staggering 200 gyms within the following 24 months of the launch, with an aim to open 500 gyms within the next 5 years.
So, his businesses are likely to take up all of his time from now on.
Conor McGregor
Making his professional boxing debut against the finest fighter of his generation, McGregor was a heavy underdog heading into the Las Vegas clash. But he had the better of a couple of early rounds before fading badly at the T-Mobile Arena.
McGregor is at a crossroads and has numerous different options, so what will he do next?
McGregor exceeded many people’s expectations by taking Mayweather into the 10th round
A Career Finale?
Dana White and the UFC would be right to be concerned about McGregor’s ‘get in, get rich, get out’ mantra after the Irishman cashed in on a payday that he is unlikely to repeat in the octagon.
There is a slim possibility that the ‘Notorious’ has showcased his talent for the last time and will ride off into the sunset with Dee Devlin and his newborn son.
There’s a small chance that McGregor could walk away from sport to be with his young family
Paulie Malignaggi
If McGregor’s appetite for boxing can’t be satiated, and he wants to stay in the squared circle, a fight with Malignaggi could be made.
The bad blood is there after their sparring fallout and the American knows it would be by far the biggest pay day of his career. He is chasing it for all it’s worth and some claim it was his plan to create the beef all along.
That said, he is past his best and the clash would have little chance of matching the interest or numbers from the Mayweather fight.
There’s bad blood between McGregor and Paulie Malignaggi (L) and they could fight in the ring
Nate Diaz – The trilogy
Diaz has not returned to the octagon since losing his dramatic rematch to McGregor at UFC 202.
It seems a shrewd move for the Stockton fighter, who knows a massive pay day lies in weight.
If he were to take a fight and lose in the meantime, then the interest in a third and deciding scrap with McGregor would dissipate.
Commentator and former MMA fighter Brendan Schaub spoke on McGregor’s prospects after the fight, backing the chances of a Diaz reunion, stating ‘he’ll never top this, this is why I think he does this fight, whatever happens, then he does one fight back in the UFC against Nate Diaz at 155lbs for the lightweight title of the world.’
Diaz and McGregor are tied at one win each and a winner-takes-all third fight could happen
This is the fight plenty of fans would love to see, and in all likely-hood the American would have to cut down from the 170lbs of the first two fights to make 155 which wouldn’t be a problem.
The trouble is, McGregor has a belt to defend and it would make a mockery of the rankings if Diaz was to leapfrog other contenders for a one-off scrap. That said, don’t put it past the UFC who are increasingly chasing pay-per-view numbers rather than adhere to divisional logic.
Tony Ferguson
After missing out on what was effectively a title eliminator to face McGregor after opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov failed to make weight, ‘El Cucuy’ now faces a potentially easier challenge for the 155lbs intermediate crown against Kevin Lee.
Ferguson will undoubtedly view the battle as a gateway to a bigger pay day, and his relentless style of fighting would have fans flocking to see a contest with McGregor.
Tony Ferguson is looking for a big ‘pay day’ and McGregor would certainly represent that
Kevin Lee
The ‘Motown Phenom’ has gained a reputation as a bit of a talker, which, of course has been a big part of the McGregor persona throughout his career.
For McGregor, having an opponent who can engage in the verbal exchanges would amplify the hype for any potential battle tenfold.
Lee is by far the best talker of all opponents linked to the McGregor challenge, and has previously vowed to dethrone the champ.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Nurmagomedov has 24 fights, 24 wins, and is the No 1 ranked challenger for the champion’s 155lbs title, and many believe his dominant style would be the perfect antidote for a McGregor match up, with the Dublin man’s slick striking.
The man from Dagestan was supposed to fight Tony Ferguson but he was hospitalised shortly before their contest after a brutal weight cut.
Would McGregor go through an entire fight camp to risk everything for a man who always has problems reaching the 155lb mark?
Khabib Nurmagomedov has had weight issues but a fight with McGregor would attract interest
Dana White previously told MMA Junkie: ‘You know what Conor told me? He said, ‘I want Khabib in Russia.
‘Isn’t he (expletive) awesome? He’s like, ‘I want Khabib, in Russia.’ He’s awesome. Conor McGregor is a (expletive) unicorn. There’s nothing like him. He’s working on boxing Floyd Mayweather and then he’s talking about fighting Khabib in Russia right after.’
Everything White says must be taken with a handful of salt but Nurmagomedov in Russia would be huge.
Max Holloway
McGregor still refers to himself and the ‘champ champ,’ having conquered both the featherweight and lightweight division’s concurrently.
And Holloway is now the undisputed 145lbs king after an incredible victory over Jose Aldo in Brazil.
The Hawaiian has already face McGregor and lost via a decision and many believe the Irishman is too depleted when cutting down to that weight.
Holloway is not a massive draw in his own right quite yet so this one appears unlikely as it stands.