Conor McGregor Has Surprising Message for Floyd Mayweather and Fans Days After Fight

08/31/2017 05:36 pm EDT

Conor McGregor lost to Floyd Mayweather in the biggest boxing match in history, but the very talkative Irish fighter had a surprising comment about his opponent this week.

In a statement, which was released to Instagram early Thursday morning, McGregor had nothing but praise for Mayweather's victory.

"Congrats to Floyd on a well fought match," McGregor wrote. "Very experienced and methodical in his work. I wish him well in retirement. He is a heck of a boxer. His experience, his patience and his endurance won him the fight hands down.'

McGregor went on to say that he found a lot more respect for the World Champion boxer after he stood toe-to-toe with him in the ring.

"I always told him he was not a fighter but a boxer. But sharing the ring with him he is certainly a solid fighter. Strong in the cinch. Great understanding of frames and head position. He has some very strong tools he could bring into an MMA game for sure."

This response could be a little surprising to fans who watched the press conferences and tour leading up to the big match. McGregor didn't hold back with the trash talking, but now that the fight is over he's showing off the real respect he has for Mayweather.

McGregor also had more than a couple kind words for fans. He started out the entire post by saying that without their support, "We as fighters would be nothing."

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