After going nearly 10 full rounds with the now retired at 50-0 world champion, the “Notorious” one may have lost his boxing debut, but at the end of the night, the man who really won the day is not so certain. Both of them may have gotten exactly what they wanted from each other.

When the UFC’s former featherweight champion and current lightweight champion Conor McGregor, 29, challenged the number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world Floyd Mayweather, 40, his competitor and fans alike called him crazy.

“I think Mayweather is going to win but I’m rooting for McGregor,” senior Hunter Belcastro said. “Most importantly, I just hope it’s a good fight.”

McGregor was confident in himself and insisted he wouldn’t have taken the fight if he didn’t think he’d have a shot at taking down the king. “He’s 40” and “My fist is bigger than his head” were common talking points used.

His promise to his fans was a knockout in the first four rounds, claiming himself to be the bigger, stronger, faster competitor and at first. Very few believed him.

When initially set, McGregor’s Vegas odds stood at 11-1, making him seem like just another fork in Mayweather’s road to the best professional record in boxing history. It also helped that this would be his opponent’s first professional fight, and potentially, his last.

At the end of the press tour, predictions changed. Having returned from Los Angeles, Toronto and London, McGregor’s odds rose to 3-1 and showed that he could turn out to be a real challenge.

The event took place on Saturday, August 26, when both boxers finally entered the ring at T Mobile Arena, one for the first time and one for the last.

McGregor came out strong, showcasing his full offense in the first few rounds and not letting up. Mayweather took a few, but his quick feet and experience kept him safe from his opponent. The champ stayed very reserved throughout the fight, but in the ninth round he came out to play. By that time, the MMA fighter had wore himself out and could barely stay standing as Mayweather finally showed what he had in him.

In the middle of the tenth the official called the technical knock out when McGregor stopped defending himself.

At first glance, it seemed like McGregor took an embarrassing loss, but being beaten by Mayweather may be the best thing to happen to him so far in his fighting career. Even though Mayweather took home a whopping $100 million compared to McGregor’s $30 million The Money Fight was still ten times larger than his next largest payout.

Better yet, in just 10 rounds the Irishman landed a total of 30 more punches on Mayweather than Manny Pacquiao the number two pound for pound boxer in the world at the time, did in a full bout.

“Conor got the most out of it,” senior Todd Clark said. “He did really well and made a name for himself in boxing.”

At the end of the night, Mayweather may have won when it comes to money and the fight, but McGregor made a name for himself in a new sport. He gave himself more value as a fighter when he inevitably goes back to the UFC. Eventually he could emerge as one of the richest and most successful athletes in the ring, the octagon the world has ever seen.