Conor McGregor: Floyd Mayweather Has ‘Very Strong Tools’ He Could Bring Into MMA

Conor McGregor has issued his first statement since the historic “Money Fight,” and he was effusive in his praise for opponent Floyd Mayweather.

“Congrats to Floyd on a well fought match,” McGregor wrote on Instagram. “Very experienced and methodical in his work. I wish him well in retirement. He is a heck of a boxer. His experience, his patience and his endurance won him this fight hands down.”

Mayweather defeated McGregor via 10th-round technical knockout last Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to improve his career mark in the Sweet Science to 50-0. McGregor started well, winning several early rounds according to many observers, but faded down the stretch as Mayweather’s superior boxing skills took over. With a little more preparation, McGregor believes he could have made it to the final bell.

“I had an amazing team and It truly was an amazing and enjoyable camp, and honestly I feel with just a little change in certain areas of the prep, we could have built the engine for 12 full rounds under stress, and got the better result on the night,” he wrote. “Getting to 12 rounds alone in practice was always the challenge in this camp. We started slowly getting to the 12 and decreasing the stress in the rounds the closer it got to 12. I think for the time we had, 10 weeks in camp, it had to be done this way. If I began with a loaded 12 rounds under much stress I would have only hit a brick wall and lost progress as a result and potentially not made the fight. A little more time and we could have made the 12 cleanly, while under more stress, and made it thru the later rounds in the actual fight.

“I feel every decision we made at each given time was the correct decision, and I am proud of everyone of my team for what we done in the short time that we done it. 30 minutes was the longest I have fought in a ring or cage or anywhere. Surpassing my previous time of 25 minutes. I am happy for the experience and happy to take all these great lessons with me and implement them into my camp going forward.”

While Mayweather is best known for his defensive style and avoiding damage, he spent much of the bout against McGregor moving forward in pursuit of a finish. That approach prompted the Dublin native to claim that he got Mayweather “to fight like a Mexican” in an interview in the ring immediately after the bout. McGregor remains impressed with Mayweather’s skills and claims that they could translate well to the MMA realm. However, Mayweather said on Saturday that McGregor was his last fight in boxing, and any type of transition to a different combat sport seems highly unlikely — no matter how much money might be involved.

“I always told him he was not a fighter but a boxer,” McGregor said. “But sharing the ring with him he is certainly a solid fighter. Strong in the clinch. Great understanding of frames and head position. He has some very strong tools he could bring into an MMA game for sure.”

Just coming back around after a whirlwind couple of days. Thank you to all the fans for the support of the fight and the event! Without your support we as fighters are nothing so I thank you all! Thank you to my team of coaches and training partners! I had an amazing team and It truly was an amazing and enjoyable camp, and honestly I feel with just a little change in certain areas of the prep, we could have built the engine for 12 full rounds under stress, and got the better result on the night. Getting to 12 rounds alone in practice was always the challenge in this camp. We started slowly getting to the 12 and decreasing the stress in the rounds the closer it got to 12. I think for the time we had, 10 weeks in camp, it had to be done this way. If I began with a loaded 12 rounds under much stress I would have only hit a brick wall and lost progress as a result and potentially not made the fight. A little more time and we could have made the 12 cleanly, while under more stress, and made it thru the later rounds in the actual fight. I feel every decision we made at each given time was the correct decision, and I am proud of everyone of my team for what we done in the short time that we done it. 30 minutes was the longest I have fought in a ring or cage or anywhere. Surpassing my previous time of 25 minutes. I am happy for the experience and happy to take all these great lessons with me and implement them into my camp going forward. Another day another lesson! Congrats to Floyd on a well fought match. Very experienced and methodical in his work. I wish him well in retirement. He is a heck of a boxer. His experience, his patience and his endurance won him this fight hands down. I always told him he was not a fighter but a boxer. But sharing the ring with him he is certainly a solid fighter. Strong in the clinch. Great understanding of frames and head position. He has some very strong tools he could bring into an MMA game for sure. Here is a toast of whiskey to everyone involved in this event and everyone who enjoyed it! Thank you to you all! Onto the next one!

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on Aug 31, 2017 at 1:21am PDT