Boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr. may have shot down the ridiculous rumors he was going to fight in the UFC, but the topic is still being thrown around the mixed martial arts world. With top UFC champions such as Demetrious Johnson chomping at the bit to welcome “Money” into the Octagon where he most likely get […]
Boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr. may have shot down the ridiculous rumors he was going to fight in the UFC, but the topic is still being thrown around the mixed martial arts world.
With top UFC champions such as Demetrious Johnson chomping at the bit to welcome “Money” into the Octagon where he most likely get quickly destroyed just like he outclassed Conor McGregor in the boxing ring earlier this year, a certain UFC great joined the ranks of many whom voiced the stance that Mayweather had no chance in the UFC.
Beloved former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell met up with TMZ Sports to discuss Mayweather’s “chances” in the Octagon briefly:
“The Iceman,” not surprisingly, echoed the sentiment of nearly everyone that Mayweather, who is undefeated in boxing and over 40 years old, would just get manhandled:
“C’mon man, he can’t fight in the UFC, Why would he do that? He’s just gonna get hurt. Whoever he fights, they’d wanna hurt him.”
Indeed, whoever he would meet in the UFC would want nothing more than to make a quick name for themselves by becoming the first MMA athlete to defeat arguably the best defensive boxer in history.
However, there also isn’t really a legitimate MMA athlete who could be matched up with him without making the UFC seem like a sideshow circus – even more than the promotion has throughout a questionable 2017.
Liddell has weighed in on the topic, even though it almost certainly won’t happen. Let’s hope that “The Iceman’s” cold view of his chances are the last time we have to discuss it.
Earlier this evening, Floyd Mayweather mercifully put an end to the ridiculous rumors circling that he was headed out of retirement to fight in the UFC. He insisted that he was only saying he could make a billion dollars for three to four fights in the Octagon, not that he was actually going to. It was […]
Earlier this evening, Floyd Mayweather mercifully put an end to the ridiculous rumors circling that he was headed out of retirement to fight in the UFC.
He insisted that he was only saying he could make a billion dollars for three to four fights in the Octagon, not that he was actually going to.
It was a predictable, albeit perhaps soon, considering the recent publicity, response from the master of self-promotion, as many were correctly certain he would not put his undefeated 50-0 legacy on the line to fight under a ruleset where he held little to no discernable advantage.
A mixed martial arts bout with lightweight champion Conor McGregor, whom he beat via tenth-round TKO in their highly-publicized boxing match this August, would absolutely be one of if not the most-watched UFC bouts ever aired, yet it appears it’s not going to happen for the time being. Already living the high life on the heels of his rumored $100 million payday to box Mayweather, McGregor may be a little perturbed to find out he won’t get a second one in his realm of expertise.
The Irish star tweeted out a simple one-word response to Mayweather’s decision to end a UFC comeback, and you probably won’t be surprised which word it was:
With nothing resembling concrete plans for a first title defense for “The Notorious,” it’s hardly a surprise to see him blast Mayweather for taking another monstrous windfall of cash from him, because it seems like that’s all he really cares about as his shoves referees, slaps security guards, and even reportedly mixes it up with Irish mob in Dublin pubs.
A big payday will await him in the UFC should he ever return, but it most likely won’t be anything close to the one he got for boxing Mayweather, and he knows it. UFC owners Endeavor do too, and they also know they’re in dire need of a true needle-moving bout after a lackluster 2017.
That’s why we can’t count out Mayweather one day fighting in the Octagon completely because UFC ownership knows he may hold the key to the most over-the-top spectacle they can find next year as they attempt to pay back their massive loans and negotiate a new television contract.
And “Money’s” been known to use his own brand of misdirection, so don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last we’ve heard of this.
If you thought that all the talk about Floyd Mayweather fighting in the UFC Octagon was complete and utter nonsense, well, you were right. Barely a day after UFC president Dana White confirmed he was supposedly in talks with “Money” to make a run in mixed martial arts (MMA), Mayweather himself has already put to […]
If you thought that all the talk about Floyd Mayweather fighting in the UFC Octagon was complete and utter nonsense, well, you were right.
Barely a day after UFC president Dana White confirmed he was supposedly in talks with “Money” to make a run in mixed martial arts (MMA), Mayweather himself has already put to rest the talk that he started.
After recently fanning those flames by teasing a “billion-dollar” contract with the UFC, “Money” today clarified to FightHype that he didn’t actually say he was going to the UFC, just that he could make a billion if he did:
“Exactly what I said is this: If I could make over a billion dollars before, I could do it again,” Mayweather said. “If I chose to get in the UFC and fight three fights or fight four fights and then fight Conor McGregor, I could make a billion dollars. Which I can. I could do it in three fights or even four fights — I could make a billion dollars. If I choose to get in the Octagon and fight.”
Interesting, because White suggested just the opposite was true to Octagon commentator Joe Rogan, even if he thought Mayweather would get destroyed doing so:
“Floyd talked about it. This is one thing I can tell you. Dana told me that Floyd wants to make a deal in the UFC. Like legitimately. I texted him, I go ‘Is Floyd really talking about fighting MMA?’ He goes ‘Yeah, he’s f**king crazy. I told him he’d get killed. But he’s still talking about doing it.”
Photo by Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports
A master of staying relevant in the media while not actually fighting, the boxing legend continued on about his supposed retirement by claiming he didn’t know what his next move is.
But if it was the UFC – and it’s most certainly not going to be because he “never” said that – he could make a billion dollars, and quickly:
“We just don’t know what the future holds for Floyd Mayweather,” Mayweather said. “And I don’t look forward to getting back in a boxing ring, that’s what I don’t look forward to. I’m just saying I could — I’m not doing it — but I’m saying what I could do to make a billion dollars quick, if I wanted to do that. That’s what I was saying. I never said I was gonna fight in the UFC. I didn’t say that. I said if I wanted to and what I could. Could and would do is different things. I’m not gonna do it, though.”
After reportedly making around $250 million for his August 26th win over Conor McGregor in boxing, “Money” may be putting that as his new barometer for a bout with an opponent from MMA.
Regardless of the sheer amount of cash involved, however, it’s beyond unlikely that a retired, undefeated legend would put his 50-0 record and legacy on the line to compete in an arena where he has no experience and would most likely get thoroughly worked over in a matter of seconds unless he somehow landed a lucky punch.
At least Mayweather had the common decency to shut down this farce before it gained too much momentum.
Quite the slow week in MMA news; but at least it won’t be full of any more speculation that the aging boxer is coming to the UFC.
Conor McGregor has been a whole bunch of fun.
Love him or hate him, he’s been about as much fun as anyone to ever step foot in the Octagon.
He went from an apprentice collecting welfare to a UFC knockout artist seemingly overnight, and from there…
ConorMcGregor has been a whole bunch of fun.
Love him or hate him, he’s been about as much fun as anyone to ever step foot in the Octagon.
He went from an apprentice collecting welfare to a UFC knockout artist seemingly overnight, and from there what unfolded was one of the greatest rises to the top of sports culture the world has ever seen—in MMA or anywhere.
Sitting here on the proverbial eve of 2018, McGregor is 9-1 in the UFC and has won bouts in three different weight classes. He’s held titles in two of them.
He’s won performance bonuses in nine of his 10 fights.
There is a real case to be made that, when accounting for the blend of skill and excitement that makes a fighter’s performances into appointment viewing, McGregor is the best in the history of MMA.
But you know something else?
If you’re tired of his nonsense, of the games and gamesmanship, the constant stream of nothing headlines and even nothing-er actions that have supported his MMA career in the past year, nobody in their right mind would blame you.
While his diversion into professional boxing was objectively delightful—the pomp and circumstance of it, the abject silliness of it that we suspended our disbelief for, the fact that he actually acquitted himself incredibly well on fight night—everything that has followed has been symbiotically head-scratching and cringe-inducing.
There was his run-in with a referee who was actively shepherding a fight, which culminated in him lunging into the cage and shoving that ref and another commission official.
There was his homophobic slur caught on camera, something for which he appeared genuinely contrite but which wasn’t a good look in any event.
There was his alleged run-in with the Irish mob, the type of thing that usually comes about only for the most irresponsible of human beings, much less of professional athletes.
And, perhaps most importantly in the midst of all this, there was the complete and utter absence of his committing to doing the thing he does best: fight.
While McGregor was off fighting referees, Tony Ferguson was fighting Kevin Lee to become interim UFC lightweight champion. Eddie Alvarez had a big win over Justin Gaethje, and KhabibNurmagomedov and EdsonBarboza will fight at UFC 219 to muck up the 155-pound queue that much more.
If those aren’t enough, Max Holloway is ruling McGregor’s old roost at 145 pounds with an increasingly iron fist and swelling popularity, and he took to Twitter to burn the former featherweight king after his last win.
Yet the closest anyone has gotten to pinning McGregor down for his next fight? Why, boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, of course, because who doesn’t want to see an 0-1 pro boxer fight a 39-year-old, current Filipino senator?
And sure, yes, McGregor has since said that he wants his next fight to be in MMA, but what is that worth really? Not much, if reports from multiple sources, including the New York Post, are to be believed. The champ’s dipping and dodging regarding the specifics of such a return have done little to quiet concerns.
So just know that now, at this point in time, it’s OK to be out on McGregor and his nonsense. It’s been a fun ride with him to the top of the sport—one of the most fun rides the game will ever see, in fact—but the nonsense has come to overpower those good vibes.
It’s just been going on too long, and there are too many other things in MMA to focus on.
This August’s Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match, which Mayweather won via 10th-round technical knockout, was quite possibly the most over-hyped combat sports circus ever put on, and today the pay-per-view numbers have reflected that. Numbers released by SHOWTIME Sports, which was the main promoter of the fight alongside the UFC in a smaller […]
This August’s Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match, which Mayweather won via 10th-round technical knockout, was quite possibly the most over-hyped combat sports circus ever put on, and today the pay-per-view numbers have reflected that.
Numbers released by SHOWTIME Sports, which was the main promoter of the fight alongside the UFC in a smaller role, show that Mayweather vs. McGregor was second highest-selling pay-per-view ever in North America with a monstrous 4.3 million views.
Mayweather vs. McGregor trails only 2015’s “boxing fight of the century” between Mayweather and former eight-division champ Manny Pacquiao. That match-up earned 4.6 million buys according to Dave Meltzer. Overall, Mayweather vs. McGregor was reported to have earned upwards of $600 million in overall revenue.
The total buy number consists of both cable and streamed purchases only in the U.S. and Canada, with worldwide figures obviously not being counted for these purposes.
As the UFC heads into 2018 following a questionable 2017 where their biggest star Conor McGregor didn’t fight in MMA once, their biggest question remains when – and if – ‘The Notorious’ will finally defend his title belt. Long regarded as possibly the most talented division in the UFC, the 155-pound fray has grown increasingly […]
As the UFC heads into 2018 following a questionable 2017 where their biggest star Conor McGregor didn’t fight in MMA once, their biggest question remains when – and if – ‘The Notorious’ will finally defend his title belt.
Long regarded as possibly the most talented division in the UFC, the 155-pound fray has grown increasingly packed with disgruntled contenders who want the weight class to finally move on. There’s no end to the current rut, however, as interim champion Tony Ferguson recently had surgery and is understandably waiting for his massive payday unification bout with McGregor.
That has the division on edge, and the growing sentiment amongst them is that McGregor should be stripped of his title if he’s unwilling to defend it soon like he said he would. One of those competitors is No. 7-ranked Dustin Poirier, once a foe of McGregor’s who was knocked out at 2014’s UFC 178. But “The Diamond” has been on a bit of a tear in 2017 after his last loss to Michael Johnson in September 2016, building a two-fight win streak that would be three if his controversial UFC 211 bout vs. Eddie Alvarez hadn’t been ruled a no contest by Herb Dean.
Poirier recently told MMA Weekly’s Damon Martin that the time was here for the UFC to strip McGregor:
“The thing is, the UFC’s pretending with Conor, but you have a list of top 10 fighters who aren’t pretending or messing around. This is their lives and their goals and their family’s future, a lot of stuff on the line here.
“So no pretending — let’s strip the belt from the guy or make him fight.”
Poirier undoubtedly raises a valid point by suggesting McGregor needs to defend the belt because the rest of the class is trying to further their careers, yet it could be highly unlikely due to the fact that the promotion’s far and away best shot at a monstrous pay-per-view (PPV) haul in 2018 rests on McGregor’s potential return.
Regardless, Poirier said the division needs to move on and the only to attain that necessary goal is to get McGregor out of the picture if he doesn’t want to compete:
“We have to [strip him] and then other fights make sense. Tony [Ferguson] gets the belt, his belt becomes the real belt and then he fights the winner out of these next few fights we have coming at the beginning of the year. We’ve got to clear it up.”
‘The Diamond’ is hardly the first fighter – or even lightweight, for that matter – to call out the UFC to take the brash Irishman’s gold, and those cries are only growing louder by the day.
As we’ve seen with the recent (and curious) case of returning former champion Georges St-Pierre, titles don’t mean anything close to what they once did in the UFC, as they’re really only an award placed on a match-up to make it seem as big as possible in today’s “money fight” era.
McGregor only wants compete in just those, and the Top 10 of the lightweight division aren’t really going to be his radar unfortunately, because they would provide fans with some entertaining action. After you fight Floyd Mayweather, most bouts don’t seem to get the juices flowing quite as much as they once did.
For the lightweight division’s sake, the fight game will have to hope the UFC finally lends some clarification to this growing cesspool sometime very soon.
