Five division champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. has a lot of respect for UFC superstar Conor McGregor - but he hopes the MMA fighter will avoid the possibility of boxing again.

Last Saturday night, McGregor made his professional boxing debut by stepping in the ring with Mayweather at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

McGregor started well in the fight and many felt he likely won the first three rounds, but the 40 year old Mayweather - who was coming off a two year retirement - began to up his activity in round four and eventually McGregor's gas tank emptied and he was stopped.

After the fight, McGregor stated that he absolutely wants to fight again in a boxing ring - something that UFC President Dana White is firmly against.

Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, like many others, was very surprised that McGregor was able to last ten rounds against Mayweather.

Ellerbe feels that McGregor could actually have a future in the sport.

But Mayweather disagrees. He wants McGregor to stay away for his own good.

He believes McGregor - if matched against a younger fighter who is not coming off a two year retirement - will get seriously hurt and stopped much sooner.

"Conor McGregor is a hell of a fighter and I want to see him continue to stay in the UFC and do what he do best. Because you must realize, that I'm 40 years old and I've been off almost 800 days. And he's active. He's actively fighting, actively training.. in a boxing gym and in the UFC gym," Mayweather told Bernardo Osuna.

"He's active, he's training, he's competing. These other fighters, these young lions, they are throwing a lot more combinations than I'm throwing. I was just in the pocket, shooting one shot here and there, and breaking him down slowly. Whereas you got these young active guys who are throwing a lot of combinations and would get him out of there a lot earlier."