It started with a rambling appearance on Periscope. Floyd Mayweather Jr., as he often does, offered fans a window into his life of pugilism and absurd wealth while discussing a host of topics.
Many of the things he said along the way were worth raising an eyebrow over, given the controversial subjects touched upon and Mayweather’s complete lack of filter. One thing that was just downright strange, though, was the discussion of his possibly fighting…in the UFC.
“You already know I’m a money-getting motherf–ker. I’m Money May,” he said (h/t MMA Mania‘s Ryan Harkness for the transcription). “They just called me not too long ago and asked me to come back. I can come right back to the UFC. … I can do a three- or four-fight deal in the Octagon and make a billion dollars.”
The statement, essentially, came out of nowhere and wouldn’t have been especially noteworthy on its own. Mayweather, after all, is known to say just about anything for attention, and discussing the UFC, positively or negatively, has traditionally turned heads for him.
(Warning: NSFW language)
His words became a bit more meaningful, though, when longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan, on his podcast, stated that Mayweather was “legitimately” talking with the company about a transition to MMA. Then things got serious when company president Dana White told ESPN “it’s real” in regard to the negotiations. Mayweather fired back later that day, flatly saying to FightHype (via MMA Weekly, h/t MMA Fighting), “I’m not doing it,” but it’s hard to completely dismiss the rumors, and even harder not to wonder if this is simply a negotiating tactic playing out in public.
While the odds of Mayweather transitioning to MMA are long regardless of whether the two sides are negotiating, it’s worth discussing the ramifications that a Money-UFC team-up would have, and what a fight involving the 50-0 boxer might look like. With that in mind, the Bleacher Report MMA team is here to discuss the possibly ongoing negotiations, what it means for the sport and what a fight might look like.
Steven Rondina
At face value, the entire notion of Mayweather fighting in the UFC feels kind of absurd. The UFC is historically stingy when it comes to its athletes, and that doesn’t mesh well with a guy whose well-deserved nickname is “Money.” What’s more, Mayweather is also a competitor who traditionally likes to stack the deck in his favor on every conceivable level. Transitioning to MMA at 40 years old? To face a legitimate opponent? That’s not really his modus operandi.
The more I think about it, though, the more this kind of, sort of makes sense.
Conor McGregor has pushed the UFC out of its comfort zone when it comes to fighter pay to the point where the UFC’s current ownership, which is desperate for needle-moving fights, might be willing to float Mayweather a legitimate offer. On the flipside, Mayweather’s options in the ring feel somewhat limited at this time, with a can-crushing affair unlikely to yield the kind of returns he looks for and a legitimate opponent likely to put a beating on him at this point.
There’s a very real chance that all of this is just a symptom of White being a blowhard…but this whole situation just makes too much sense. If Floyd were ever going to step into the cage, now would be the time, no?
Jeremy Botter
I mean, look. We’re already well established in Twilight Zone territory at this point. Remember a few years ago, when somebody would’ve mentioned this fight and we all would’ve laughed and (probably) pointed in their general direction?
Yeah, those days are gone. The UFC’s new-ish ownership group has some huge loan repayments to make, and it can’t make them without throwing a few things out with the bathwater. One of those things is the old business model established by the Fertitta brothers, and the other is a healthy dose of common sense. What was once a not-in-a-million-years proposition is now an eye toward reaping the biggest profits available.
And make no mistake about it: if Mayweather steps into that Octagon, it’s going to be enormously financially lucrative, regardless of the opponent. It’s one of those things where you’ll tell everyone you won’t watch, but of course you will, because you can’t help yourself. Prizefighting was built on just such a foundation. Mayweather vs. CM Punk? Dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. But also? #WouldWatch
Nathan McCarter
I would watch this clown car roll into town 100 percent. However, what I am most interested in seeing, on the small chance this were to happen, is how the UFC fills out the card. It will provide great insight into which fighters (who don’t have pay-per-view points on their current deals) the UFC has a vested interest in promoting.
The Mayweather story itself doesn’t interest me all that much because we know what will happen against any credible well-rounded fighter. We’ve seen it before. But the implications for the business and how it affects other fighters is the story that I will be tuned into on a daily basis. Mayweather’s presence will have residual effects.
I’d also be interested in any new promotional tactics the UFC may employ, as it has gotten quite bland in that regard over the years. With a new TV deal on the horizon, a potential Mayweather fight could bring out the best presentation to date.
Jonathan Snowden
I understand how interesting this could be as a spectacle and how much money could flow into the UFC’s coffers as a result. I sat on the floor watching Mayweather fight McGregor with a smile I simply couldn’t erase from my face.
But as an athletic contest, this is straight garbage. A fight hasn’t even been announced yet, and the stench is already overwhelming.
McGregor had very little chance against Mayweather—but the slim possibility existed that he could waylay him with a hard shot and walk away an unlikely victor.
Even that chance will elude Mayweather if he decides to step into the cage.
If you haven’t seen it, take a quick peek at UFC 118 on Fight Pass. Watch James Toney, one of the most gifted boxers I’ve ever seen, take the center of the Octagon.
Then watch Randy Couture shoot the world’s slowest single leg from a yard away and put him helplessly on his back. It was as embarrassing as it was predictable.
A common thread connects boxing and MMA striking. The strategies and techniques vary to some degree—but they come from the same world.
Grappling? Grappling is something else entirely, foreign, scary and baffling, even after years of training.
When you train in a grappling sport for the first time, you often find yourself up against the smallest person in the gym, even if the weight difference is substantial.
This isn’t to provide you with a chance to be competitive. It’s the first of many humblings to come. It takes years to get good on the mat, a daily grind that all too often ends with your tapping frantically or trying to re-establish blood flow to your brain.
Mayweather won’t have time to get the reps he needs to succeed. Victory isn’t just unlikely—it’s hopeless.
Scott Harris
No, Mayweather has no chance of winning an MMA fight. Yes, a Mayweather dalliance in the UFC would nevertheless be appointment television and lucrative for all involved.
At the risk of sounding hopelessly naive, though, wouldn’t it be nice to see the UFC cultivate fan interest from the bottom up? The UFC is like a sports team that has every opportunity to build through the draft and farm system but ignores that methodology in favor of splashy free-agent signings.
On its face, that’s fine. We’re all here to make money. But the more often the UFC visits this particular ATM, the more it delegitimizes itself and its own athletes. It says something that Demetrious Johnson, the best MMA fighter on the planet and maybe ever, feels the need to put himself forward for a big-money fight with Mayweather. Shouldn’t the UFC have made a bigger star out of him already?
The UFC is desperate for name value, it is said. But isn’t that the UFC’s job? To promote fighters? What about Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker and Francis Ngannou and Amanda Nunes and a hundred other great fighters who are sitting under the UFC’s nose waiting to become household names while the UFC wrings its hands about a dearth of marketable talent?
Sure, novelty fights will always be big sellers. But figuring out how to make stars out of all the talent you already have? Now that’s a license to print money.
Steven Rondina
There’s definitely something to be said about the UFC’s inability to build stars and how that ties into the company’s frequent reliance on Mayweather to drum up headlines. The same goes for the fact that boxers have largely struggled when crossing over and how the UFC would need to steer into that in order to protect both the sports’ credibilities and its own brand.
The fact remains, though, that the UFC and Mayweather should be having at least a basic level of negotiation.
All signs say that Mayweather is looking for another fight at a time where there are few safe opponents available for him. All signs say that Endeavor wants to make the biggest fights possible in 2018 ahead of signing a new TV deal for the UFC. Even if Mayweather isn’t seriously looking to take the plunge or even if the UFC isn’t willing to ruin its credibility as a sports organization, both sides have something to gain from talking to the other.
Once again, it’s incredibly unlikely that Mayweather takes off his boots, tapes on some four-ounce gloves and dons a pair of atrocious Reebok trunks for $2,500. But given how huge their last date was, I’d be surprised if the two haven’t exchanged some text messages in the months since.
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