Mayweather-McGregor Will Fight Aug. 26

LAS VEGAS — They were going to fight. They weren't going to fight. Now it turns out that, yes... they are going to fight. After a series of moves worthy of "So, You Think You Can Dance," Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor appear to have agreed to face off on Aug. 26 at the T-Mobile Arena.

So what that the two men are champions from two different sports. And so what that one of them — Mayweather — has not been inside of a ring professionally in two years.

The fight between Mayweather, the boxing star, and McGregor, the Ultimate Fighting Champion legend, which will be on Showtime, has used up a lot of oxygen this year.

It will be a boxing-only bout that will be scheduled for 12 rounds.

There has been a a lot of movement up to this moment.

The events calendar maintained by the Nevada Athletic Commission had added an event for Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017.

"Mayweather Promotions will promote a professional boxing event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena," it says. "This event will be televised on Showtime."

It didn't say what the event would have been, but a showdown between the two champions has been the subject of much discussion this year. (Subscribe to local news alerts on Patch).

Tuesday morning, the commission updated its calendar with a note: "This event has been canceled by the promoter."

On Wednesday, the commission approved the fight as part of its consent agenda.

There has been speculation that the picking of the date is, in part, directed at Mayweather's former foe, Oscar De La Hoya, who is promoting a fight the following month; Mayweather might have wanted to steal some of his spotlight.

Mayweather, who retired in 2015 after defeating Andre Berto in a fight at the MGM Grand and running his record to 49-0, spent the last eight years of his career fighting at the MGM.

Those last 12 fights saw him defeat a panoply of opponents, including Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez.

There had been talk that, given Mayweather's history with the MGM that the fight would be there.

Mayweather, who last fought as a welterweight, would be going up against McGregor, currently the UFC Lightweight Champion. McGregor is also considered the most popular fighter in UFC history.

McGregor tweeted the news Wednesday afternoon.

Mayweather followed moments later with a tweet of his own.

Photo of Floyd Mayweather Jr. looks back at Andre Berto's corner after the sixth round of their WBC/WBA welterweight title fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena via Ethan Miller/Getty Images News/Getty Images