Conor McGregor doubles down on Floyd Mayweather fight - 'The next time I fight, it'll be in a boxing ring'

The boiling rivalry between mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Conor McGregor and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. bubbled over even more earlier today (Sat., Jan. 28, 2017) when "Notorious" sat down with Ariel Helwani for his exclusive pay-per-view (PPV) interview from Manchester, England (full recap here). As Helwani pried into the potential superfight and what McGregor wants to do in 2017, fight fans finally caught wind that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight king wants nothing more than to step inside of the boxing ring.

"I have my eyes on one thing right now, and that's Floyd Mayweather," said McGregor

"That fight is more than just being explored," responded McGregor when asked about the validity of the superfight rumors. "There's a lot of steps, but it's the fight to make. It's the fight I want."

McGregor added that he believes he can fight Mayweather without the UFC's approval under the Ali Act, but understands that it would be much easier to have the promotion by his side.

"I believe this is the first billion fight, so people have to pay for a billion dollar fight," said McGregor, who added that Mayweather needs special rules to protect him. "I believe it will happen at the end of this year or at the beginning of next year."

Nothing is for certain at this point, especially with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson waiting in the helm for "Notorious," but it seems pretty apparent that we're getting even closer to a McGregor vs. Mayweather showdown. Of course, money is the biggest obstacle and one that won't be hurdled unless UFC is completely on board.

*All quotes transcribed from MMAfighting Twitter.