So it looks like Floyd Mayweather might actually be taking the mixed martial arts world seriously. Recently, both Mayweather and UFC champion Tyron Woodley announced that they began talks to work together on Mayweather’s potential MMA future.
According to Woodley, the two ran into each other at an NBA All-Star party in Los Angeles this year and decided to work together later in Las Vegas to get “TBE” right for any MMA competition. Mayweather made headlines when he posted a video of himself walking into a cage fighting surface and taunting the fans with his interest in competing in the sport.
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Floyd Mayweather says he’s DEAD SERIOUS about taking an MMA fight — confirms he’ll start training with Tyron Woodley — and breaks down his wrestling and kicking skills. SUBSCRIBE — http://po.st/TMZSportsSubscribe About TMZ Sports: Some of the best stories in sports have been off the field and we’re reporting on athletes from NFL, NBA, UFC, WWE, MLB and more!
Since then, Conor McGregor has had something to say and combat sports fans have speculated on potential first opponents being either “The Notorious One” or WWE defector turn reticent UFC fighter CM Punk. However, as with any opportunity for “Money”, the numbers have to be enticing for him to take professional competition seriously.
When Mayweather and McGregor fought in “The Money Fight”, now the second-highest boxing viewed pay-per-view match in history, a door was opened that will never be closed where boxers and mixed martial artists can explore the possibilities of matchups across the sporting line.
There are no details on whether Mayweather would fight in the UFC or create his own promotion, but UFC President Dana White has created Zuffa Boxing and has been vocal recently about his intent to enter the boxing game.
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Recently, four-division world boxing champion Mikey Garcia told TSL that he has been talking to current UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway about potentially fighting a boxing match, and White recently visited Garcia at his trainer/brother Robert Garcia’s gym in Riverside, California.
With the UFC having sold for $4 billion dollars to WME-IMG and now with a plethora of celebrity shareholders, the organization has to make strategic moves to make back what it spent. A fight under the UFC banner and co-promoted by Mayweather Promotions against Conor McGregor is probably the right way to do it since it will be the biggest moneymaker ever in UFC history.
Plus with the departure of Ronda Rousey to WWE, the uncertainty of Georges St. Pierre’s continuance in the sport and McGregor feeling himself and not being in action, the UFC needs to do something major.
Mayweather keeps the world guessing even in retirement and it will be interesting to see how this all unfolds.
