FLOYD MAYWEATHER insisted Conor McGregor facing Manny Pacquiao will not make as much money as his fight with the UFC star.
McGregor – who lost his boxing debut against Mayweather in 2017 – was in talks to box Pacquiao in his next fight.
Instead, he is close to agreeing a return to the UFC having accepted a headliner with Dustin Poirier for January, but contracts are yet to be signed.
McGregor, 32, still hopes to fight Pacquiao, 41, after rematching Poirier, 31, who he beat at featherweight in 2014.
But Mayweather, 43, told his former rival not to expect as big of a payday as he received for their crossover mega-fight three years ago.
He told USA Today: “He’s not going to get the money he got with me if he go with Pacquiao.
“It’s not going to be as big. You know, it gets no bigger than Floyd Mayweather.’’
Mayweather retired as a professional after beating McGregor in ten round.
But he returned at the end of 2018 to beat featherweight kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in an exhibition bout in Japan.
Then, last November Mayweather announced plans to fight again, working with UFC president Dana White on a comeback.
He is still in talks with White, having revealed he would fight McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov but only for £230m.
Mayweather said: “Me and Dana talk. I wouldn’t say always, but we’ll text and talk on the phone every once in a while.
“Dana’s a cool guy, he’s a great guy. And he’s doing a helluva job with the UFC and I’m proud of him.
“And we look forward to working with each other in the future. Are we going to work? Absolutely.”
