Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.: The 11 craziest moments from their NYC press conference

With the fighters showing up fashionably late, fans eagerly anticipated the entrances of both Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. McGregor came out first with his usual brash, cocky, and confident attitude, showing up shirtless wearing a mink coat, pajama-like pants, and sunglasses. A bold choice, even given the “F-You” suit he wore previously in Los Angeles.

McGregor said he bought the mink coat earlier in the day: “I woke up and I was sweating, it was so f*cking hot in New York,” McGregor said. “We went to Fifth Avenue, and I found this and thought, ‘F*ck it, I’m gonna go topless and wear this coat.” McGregor ate up the noise of the crowd as he came in and took his seat on the stage.

Another great McGregor quote: “That man ain’t knocked nobody out in a long time. I hope he comes for it, I hope he brings it. I’ll be prepared for it all. I’ll anticipate both [him being aggressive or fighting defensive]. I’ll be ready for anything. But make no mistake: He’ll be unconscious, that is a fact.”

Not to be outdone, Mayweather entered the arena draped in an Irish flag, before tossing it aside on the stage—no doubt to rouse McGregor. But McGregor wasn’t riled.

“I threw one at him yesterday, so I let him get away with it today,” McGregor said to AMI Fitness Group after the event. “It’s all fun and games.”

At this point, the crowd was pro-McGregor, but it didn’t faze Mayweather one bit.

Both fighters got in each other’s faces throughout the event, with McGregor trying to flick off Mayweather’s hat at one point. Staredowns are always a big part of any boxing fight promotion, but in Brooklyn Mayweather and McGregor took it to another level. The two stayed close and were going at each other for a while before their camps pulled them apart.

One thing’s been clear throughout the press tour: McGregor is one of the most confident athletes, period. He might be a major underdog, but he has complete faith in his abilities.

“Nothing can faze me,” McGregor said. “I’m topless in a f*cking mink coat. I’m not worried…I have a very high fight IQ. I understand when and when not to do things. Small details that people don’t even see, I can see. I’m very confident that if it’s a boxing ring or an arena, that I can do what I need to do.”

McGregor might get more attention for his flash and brashness now, but Mayweather invented that playbook years ago—driving ridiculously expensive cars, tossing around money (more on that in a minute), wearing big glasses, and gaudy jewelry.

Mayweather donned his TMT[“The Money Team”]-branded sweatshirt and hat. While his clothes weren’t as flashy as McGregor’s, he rocked a diamond-encrusted Hublot watch (he owns quite a few) and talked about using his private jets to jump from one press conference to another.

Mayweather had some fun and literally lived up to his “Money” nickname by pulling out stacks of money and tossing it around the stage and the crowd. Spectators were eager to grab some of the bills as they rained down over McGregor and his entourage.

After having money rained down on him via Mayweather, McGregor wasn’t impressed.

“He could have gotten hundred dollar bills instead of ones for f*ck’s sake,” McGregor said.

“It’s a hell of a lot of fun,” McGregor said. “These things are great. There are so many memes and pictures after each event. I’m enjoying every second of it. Fighting is my bread and butter, and I’m excited for that, but it’s cool having 15-20K people come out. It’s more like a roast.”

The Mayweather-McGregor matchup is the biggest pay-per-view event that boxing has seen in quite a while. It has the potential to break records, and could gross hundreds of millions of dollars for each fighter.

“This is going to be a huge event,” Mayweather said. “If it does break the record, it’s gonna be a record of my own. I was the first athlete to get $300 million in 36 minutes. I can do it again. It’s all about timing.”

McGregor had some hip-hop-related fun with his opponent, referencing Mayweather’s pal 50 Cent, talking about his love for the Notorious B.I.G., and giving him a copy of the new Jay Z album 4:44.

McGregor had some choice words during the stunt, too: “You and 50 are two fake-money bitches. He’s bankrupt, and you’re about to be. Here’s Jay Z’s new album, the 4:44. I want you to take this and listen to it, and learn. Learn how to build and maintain a real empire, not a fake empire. And when you’re done with it, send it off to 50. And when you do, tell him Blanco sent you.”

Not many in the boxing world are giving McGregor a chance, but Mayweather isn’t sitting back and thinking this fight will be easy.

“Everything is a blessing, for me to be competing against guys in their twenties,” Mayweather said. “On paper, everything leans toward him: He’s bigger. He has a 74″ reach; I have 72″ reach. I’m inactive; he’s active. Youth is on his side: He’s in his twenties; I’m in my forties. We’ve never seen him lose standing up. He thinks he’s the best; and when I was competing, I was the best. I think I had to come back for this last hurrah. Did I want to come back? No. But once the bait was out there, I had to come back. This move wasn’t on the chess board. I control the chess board.”

These guys are ready to get into the ring. The animosity between the two was felt by everyone in Barclays Center, and things got heated after Mayweather (jokingly) sent over some of his entourage to mess with McGregor and his crew.

“Those were some juice-head guys,” McGregor said. “There was some pushing and shoving when that happened. It’s nothing. I am fight-ready. I’m getting in super-shape.”

Dana White said he’s been worried the two might go at it on stage—which is why he makes sure he’s always there to break up any scuffle.

The fight goes down on August 26. Stay tuned.