In the hours following Joe Rogan suggesting that Dana White was actually talking to Floyd Mayweather about a comeback in the UFC, several fighters threw their name into the hat for what predictably perceived would be an easy – and massive – payday in the Octagon.
One of the biggest names to do just that was UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, who said he would give up 20 pounds to meet ‘Money’ in mixed martial arts. Mayweather denied the rumor shortly thereafter, however, making it seem certain he would not fight in the UFC, which was what more expected would actually happen than him risking his legacy and undefeated record to end his latest retirement.
But “Mighty Mouse” isn’t giving up on the bout, as he revealed to TMZ Sports (via MMA Mania) that he would fight Mayweather without one of his go-to skillsets of grappling, which he has used to become arguably the flashiest submission artist in the UFC following his suplex-to-armbar stoppage of Ray Borg:
“I think it would go very well for me, obviously. I’m very well-rounded. It’s mixed martial arts. I would even do a handicap. I won’t even grapple with him. I won’t even go to the ground at all. I’ll get him in the clinch, bang up, hit him in the liver, kick him in the liver, take out his legs and work him.”
With essentially two-thirds of his all-around game rendered useless, Johnson still isn’t scared of what Mayweather would bring to the cage. The top pound-for-pound fighter in all of MMA went into detail about how he would beat up “Money” if he decided to clinch like he does in boxing:
“100 percent [I would win],” said Johnson. “Yeah, of course. You have the clinch, there’s kicks, there’s elbows, it’s mixed martial arts. I come from one of the great coaches – Matt Hume, Brad Kertson – and my skill set is well-rounded.
“I’d probably get after that liver. Have to get after that liver. Beat him up in the Muay Thai clinch because he likes to clinch a lot. You see it in his boxing, when he clinches, once we initiate that clinch, I’m gonna throw a knee right to his liver.”
Finally, Johnson sold the bout hard, challenging the legend to beat up the smallest fighter in the UFC:
“Floyd, come over here and beat up the smallest guy in the UFC,” said Johnson. “Come try your hand, try to beat up the smallest guy.”
‘Mighty Mouse’ seems to be campaigning quite hard for a farcical bout with Mayweather, a true testament to the sad state of fighter pay and treatment in the UFC if the most dominant athlete has to essentially beg for the huge payday of fighting a retired boxing great because he can’t get a big fight in MMA.
Johnson obviously saw how much Conor McGregor made to meet Mayweather this August, but ‘Mighty Mouse’ simply isn’t on the Irish star’s level in terms of pay-per-views – quite the opposite is true. Either way, he seems to want the Mayweather match-up rather feverishly, but for our sakes, let’s hope no one gets it.
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