'Money changes everything': Inside the nine-year free fall of Conor McGregor - ESPN

Editor's note: This story was originally published in June 2024 and updated on May 16 after UFC announced that Conor McGregor is scheduled to make his return to the Octagon against Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11 in Las Vegas.

THE FANTASY BECAME a reality as Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor stood face-to-face in a memorable picture taken on July 12, 2017, by lauded combat photographer Esther Lin. The two fighters were at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto on the second stop of a world tour to promote their upcoming boxing match on Aug. 26, 2017.

McGregor, dressed to the nines in a royal blue suit, his arm outstretched in Mayweather's face, beckoning him to bring it on. Mayweather, wearing black jeans, a black The Money Team T-shirt with a matching baseball cap — and perhaps millions in jewelry — pointing at his Irish opponent.

A sea of fans stretched beyond what Lin's lens could capture. Plenty were there to see Mayweather, but many, if not more, were there to see McGregor. Irish flags and pro-McGregor signs were scattered throughout the crowd. While Mayweather had long been boxing's biggest cash cow, the realization that McGregor wasn't too far behind was crystallizing.

McGregor matched Mayweather's wit on the microphone and left Toronto as the fan favorite.

This moment solidified McGregor as one of the biggest attractions in combat sports and as a mainstream megastar. This wasn't just a fight but a global event that captured everyone's imagination.

But what started as a tour featuring two of the biggest superstars in combat sports devolved into a trash-talking, ego-measuring contest — bringing out the worst in McGregor.

Gone was the three-piece suit after the Toronto showdown, replaced with floral pants and a mink