UPDATE: Floyd Mayweather Says He Won't Be Fighting in the UFC
“I’m not doing it.”
UPDATE: Floyd Mayweather has dismissed speculation that he’ll be fighting in the UFC in a new interview with Fighthype, saying the following:
“People said, ‘Floyd said, Oh, he’ll be fighting in the UFC for a billion dollars’ – that’s not what I said. What I said was this: I made a billion dollars. If I made a billion dollars before, I’ll do it again. If I choose to get in the UFC and fight for the UFC, or fight three fights or 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 – fight three fights, three or four fights, and then fight Conor McGregor in the octagon. We just don’t know what the future holds for Floyd Mayweather, and I don’t look forward to getting back in the boxing ring. That’s what I don’t look forward to doing. So, I’m just saying, I could (make a billion in the UFC). I’m not doing it. But I’m saying, what I could do is make a billion dollars quick if I wanted to do that. That’s what I was saying.”
Floyd Mayweather Jr. as a professional mixed martial artist could actually be a reality soon as it has been reported by ESPN that the champion boxer is in talks with UFC President Dana White. With Mayweather answering the call to fight Conor McGregor in the boxing ring, it feels like anything is possible and this is what White is alluding to about his meeting with the undefeated champ. “We’re interested in doing something with Floyd, Dana told ESPN. Everything is a realistic possibility. Mayweather vs. McGregor f—ing happened. Anything is possible.”
Additionally, this is not the first time Mayweather has discussed his interest in joining the UFC. “They just called me not too long ago and asked me to come back,” said Mayweather, from Fight Hype. “I can come right back. If I wanted to, I can come right back to the UFC. I can go fight in the Octagon. I can do a three- or four-fight deal in the Octagon and make a billion dollars. Remember, I’m Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather.”
To put into perspective the Mayweather-McGregor bout raked in more than $600 million USD in revenue. ESPN points out that it’s unlikely that if Mayweather did step into the Octagon that he would fight McGregor. Regardless, just Mayweather being involved with the UFC will cause more buzz for the sport and increase Pay-Per-View orders on the night that he decides to fight. “There was no way I thought that fight was going to happen, but when you sit down with a smart guy like [Mayweather adviser] Al Haymon, a very intelligent guy, anything is possible,” White commented. “And Floyd, as much as he does the money thing and this and that, Floyd was actually very easy to work with. I was impressed.”
