Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor: The long road to Vegas

A fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor finally was confirmed Wednesday, with the pair set to meet Aug. 26 in Las Vegas.

It has been a long road to get to this point, with the boxing legend and the UFC poster boy trading barbs as the chances of a fight actually materializing remained a moving target.

So here's a recap of how this tale has played out over the past two years:

April 2015: McGregor says he would "kill" Mayweather in less than 30 seconds if the two ever met in the Octagon.

March 2016: McGregor reveals he is open to a boxing match against Mayweather before suffering a shocking loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 196.

April 2016: "I have decided to retire young," tweets McGregor, who is subsequently pulled from his rematch against Diaz at UFC 200. McGregor backtracks on his retirement claim but is not reinstated for the event.

May 2016: McGregor tweets a doctored image of himself squaring up to Mayweather as rumors of a potential fight between the pair begin to mount. Mayweather says: "It may not be a rumor. Keep y'all fingers crossed." UFC president Dana White insists a fight is "impossible."

June 2016: A rematch between McGregor and Diaz is slated for UFC 202, while Amir Khan reveals he would be open to facing the McGregor.

August 2016: McGregor says Mayweather is "running around the Showtime offices begging those executives to come up with a $100 million cash to fight me." He then avenges his earlier defeat to Diaz later in the month.

October 2016: After being fined $150,000 for throwing water bottles at Diaz in a media conference in August, McGregor texts White to say he never wants to fight in Nevada again.

November 2016: McGregor beats Eddie Alvarez to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight divisions simultaneously. Amid strained relations with the organization, Triple H offers him a route into WWE, while Mayweather dismisses comparisons between himself and McGregor, saying: "Elephants don't beef with ants." White says McGregor will take time off and the two-weight title holder is ordered to give up his featherweight belt.

December 2016: McGregor obtains a professional boxing license in California, having been denied one in Nevada, and says: "I don't give a f— about Floyd. I do not give a f— about Floyd. I don't fear no man under no rule set. I'm sitting there minding my own business, dominating true fighting and Floyd calls me out and leaks a rumor that we're supposed to fight or something like that. So what I did was I opened up my eyes a little bit. I went: 'Hold on. Maybe I can pursue this. Maybe I can pursue the boxing side. Maybe there's something there.'" Mayweather, meanwhile, offers a $10,000 prize for the best Instagram caption on a video of McGregor tapping out against Diaz.

Christmas Eve 2016: "I am going to break his face," tweets McGregor, along with another doctored image of himself and Mayweather.

January 2017: Mayweather declares himself "the face of MMA" as the pair begin to talk money, amid mention of a "$1 billion fight". Manny Pacquiao says he would face McGregor in the ring.

February 2017: White says the chances of the fight happening "are about the same as me being [Tom] Brady's backup quarterback [at the Super Bowl] on Sunday, that's how close I think the odds are." Mayweather insists he is "happily retired." McGregor says he will knock his rival's head clean off.

March 2017: McGregor says he has signed a contract and calls on Mayweather to do the same. The American reveals he is out of retirement to face the Irishman.

May 2017: Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya are among boxing legends to dismiss the merit of a Mayweather-McGregor showdown, which is described as a "joke" and an "embarrassment."

June 2017: Mayweather vs. McGregor is confirmed for Aug. 26 in Las Vegas.

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'Joke,' 'Intriguing,' 'Get me on the undercard!': Expert opinions vary on Mayweather-McGregor fight
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