Conor McGregor has obtained a professional boxing license in the state of California, McGregor's management team and the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) confirmed on 30 November.
The latest move of the Mixed Martial Arts' (MMA) Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star has fuelled long-standing speculations of a clash between the Irishman and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.
CSAC executive director Andy Foster confirmed the news and said that they were happy to give McGregor the license and that they would look for a "high-level opponent" to make him fight in California.
"He is qualified [as a boxer]. I would love to see him fight in California. It just needs to be the right opponent. Certainly a high-level opponent. We are happy to license him. We are happy he is a California fighter," Foster said, as quoted by the MMAFighting.
Notably, McGregor has demanded $100m to take on Mayweather, who retired last year, in a boxing match, during an event at a New York City nightclub shortly after he became the first dual weight UFC champion by knocking out the then lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November.
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"Give Floyd a shout; tell him I am coming. Tell him to run around Showtime offices. I want $100 million to fight him under boxing rules because he's afraid of a real fight," McGregor had said.
Not just on one instance but McGregor has been quite vocal about fighting Mayweather, who holds an unbeaten 49-0 record in his 16-year professional boxing career. The UFC champion also had hinted about a possible fight with boxer earlier in August during which he said Mayweather has been trying "come up with the $100 million cash he needs to fight me".
However, Mayweather has been non-committal about coming out of retirement any time soon and even reportedly went on to say that he was not willing to fight anyone.
Speculations were rife that the 39-year-old would make it back to the ring to fight his arch-rival Manny Pacquiao, who has been vocal about a re-match.
Things heated up when Mayweather watched Pacquiao overpower his compatriot Jessie Vargas and clinch the WBO welterweight title after coming back from retirement, from the ringside at the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas last month.
