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. play 0:36 Chandler recounts early meeting with Conor McGregor Michael Chandler explains the uncomfortable atmosphere surrounding an early meeting with Conor McGregor. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor faced off after the UFC 229 press conference at Radio City Music Hall. Nearly 16 months after losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor would next fight Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. "For me, this is the right way to go about a fight," McGregor said in an interview with ESPN.