Dana White Confirms Floyd Mayweather In Talks With UFC

Dana White Confirms Floyd Mayweather In Talks With UFC

UFC President Dana White confirms boxing star Floyd Mayweather is in talks to compete in the UFC.

Dec 20, 2017 by Duane Finley
Dana White Confirms Floyd Mayweather In Talks With UFC

The UFC has engaged in discussions with Floyd Mayweather to bring him to the Octagon.

That's according to UFC President Dana White, who revealed he's entered into negotiations with the retired boxer in a move that would see "Money" transition to mixed martial arts for the first time. 

"We're talking to Floyd about doing a UFC deal. It's real," White said when speaking to ESPN. "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 f*cking happened. Anything is possible." 

Mayweather first hinted at a possible deal with the UFC in a recent social media post that started the buzz about the 40-year-old boxer actually trying his hand at MMA. Considering the kind of money Mayweather earned during his boxing career, it seemed tough to imagine that he was actually thinking about fighting in the UFC, but obviously he wasn't joking at all. 

“I'm Money May. They just called me not too long ago and asked me to come back. I can come right back to the UFC," Mayweather said. "If I want, I can go. 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."

Mayweather (50-0) retired from boxing in August after he earned a 10th-round TKO against UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor. 

During the lead-up to their fight, Mayweather often taunted McGregor that he could easily cross over to MMA and the 29-year-old Irishman welcomed the challenge for a "real fight" versus a boxing match.

Now it appears Mayweather might actually be considering a move to the UFC. 

"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 said.

"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."

The fight between Mayweather and McGregor ended up as the second-biggest pay-per-view of all time with 4.3 million sold, and it generated more than $600 million in revenue. Mayweather actually accounts for taking part in the three biggest pay-per-view events of all time so it's understandable why the UFC might want to get into business with him even on a short-term basis.

Despite his boxing prowess, Mayweather would likely be a sizable underdog against any veteran UFC fighter including a potential rematch against McGregor inside the Octagon. 

By Damon Martin