Overview
- Crawford publicly denied McGregor’s account in interviews published July 1–2, saying the $200 million number was “cap” and that no finished offer with that figure was put to him.
- Both fighters agree they spoke by FaceTime about a crossover idea, but Crawford says the conversation never included a formal written or presented $200 million package.
- Crawford said he likely would have taken a genuine nine-figure offer at the time of the talks but that his 2025 payday from the Canelo Alvarez fight and subsequent retirement changed his incentives.
- McGregor has attributed the alleged offer to Saudi sports backer Turki Alalshikh, but Alalshikh and Riyadh backers have not publicly confirmed the $200 million figure.
- The dispute highlights how large Saudi-backed guarantees and cross-sport promotion can create big public claims that are hard to verify and that fighters may use for promotional leverage, as McGregor has while promoting his UFC 329 return.