Conor McGregor’s team have denied claims the UFC star was knocked out in sparring ahead of his boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Two-time world champion Jessie Vargas said in a YouTube clip “the boxing world is small, man… he got knocked out in sparring.”

However, McGregor’s team have since told Telegraph Sport: “The guy mentioned by Jessie Vargas is [boxer] Brandon Rios, not [British MMA fighter] Brad Wheeler. Neither have sparred with Conor.”

Rios has since confirmed he has never sparred, or even met, The Notorious and it does appear as if Vargas’ comments were wide of the mark.

McGregor is the biggest name in MMA and became the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight divisions simultaneously, but he faces a step into the unknown against Mayweather.

The American has stepped out of retirement for the August showdown and boasts a record of 49 wins with no defeats.

Irishman McGregor has been in confident mood during the build-up and has promised to end the fight early as he bids to become the first man to beat Mayweather in a professional bout.

Mayweather, regarded as the best defensive boxer of all time by many, has lost some of his punching power in recent years and hasn’t stopped an opponent in his last seven fights, going back to 2011.

The veteran star is 3.20 to win on points while McGregor is 6.00 to win by KO/TKO/DQ/TD when the pair meet in Las Vegas in August.