Either Floyd Mayweather is actually going crazy or the UFC has lost its way a lot more than we initially thought.
The Money Fight may not have aged well, but if you can, cast your minds back to the London leg of the press tour.
Remember that moment when Floyd Mayweather grabbed the mic and told the UFC they should have come knocking on his door? Well, apparently, he wasn’t joking about his interest in trying his hand in MMA.
“You should have came and got me for the UFC, if you wanted a real champion! I run the octagon! I run the ring!”
. @FloydMayweather crossing over into MMA, really?
— Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocic) December 20, 2017
We know, Stipe. We know.
UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Wednesday that talks have already opened up between Mayweather and the promotion. Both parties, he claims, are interested in making something happen.
“We’re talking to Floyd about doing a UFC deal. It’s real. He was talking about (boxing) Conor McGregor. Was that real? Have you heard Floyd talk about many things that aren’t real? He usually tips his hand when he’s in the media, and then that shit ends up happening.”
“We’re interested in doing something with Floyd. Everything is a realistic possibility. Mayweather vs. McGregor fucking happened. Anything is possible.”
This backs up claims that UFC colour commentator Joe Rogan made during a recent episode of his podcast.
“Dana told me that Floyd wants to make a deal in the UFC. Like, legitimately. So I texted him, I go, ‘Is Floyd really talking about fighting MMA?’ He goes, ‘Yeah, he’s fucking crazy. I told him he’d get killed but he’s still talking about doing it.’”
The benefits of involving Mayweather in MMA are obvious. He is the biggest PPV draw in the history of sports. It’s hard to blame the UFC for getting dollar signs for eyes over the interest.
However, who they match him up against will say a lot about the lay of the land. When James Toney was brought into the Octagon with sweet fuck all training in anything except boxing, he was booked to face Hall of Famer Randy Couture.
It will be interesting to see if the promotion follows this same model with Mayweather. If he gets a Conor McGregor type, then we can safely say ‘Yes’. If it’s a very winnable fight against someone like… we don’t know, CM Punk… well then, we don’t want to live on this planet anymore.
