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By Tim Marcin
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Floyd Mayweather's successful and highly lucrative fight against mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor in August apparently got the boxer thinking about a career change. UFC chief Dana White told ESPN Wednesday that the ostensibly retired Mayweather is considering taking inking a UFC deal.
"It's real," White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto. "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 s--- ends up happening. We're interested in doing something with Floyd. Everything is a realistic possibility. Mayweather vs. McGregor f---ing happened. Anything is possible."
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The unconventional McGregor-Mayweather fight, widely seen as a cash grab, was long the subject of rumors before it happened. McGregor, an elite mixed martial artist, had no professional boxing experience. Mayweather was undefeated but also considered well past his prime. He came out of semi-retirement to fight McGregor.
But the fight was respectable. McGregor was a decent opponent until the fight was called in the 10th round. Mayweather won, moving his professional record to 50-0. "He's a lot better than I thought he was," Mayweather told CBS Sports after the fight. "He used different angles. He was a tough competitor, but I was the better man tonight."
The Mayweather-to-UFC move, however, would seemingly be more difficult than McGregor putting on the gloves. UFC fighters are experts in multiple types of martial arts, and the rules allow for pretty much anything. It would also be tough to convince a state commission, presumably Nevada, to allow Mayweather to fight given both his age (he'll be 41 in February) and experience.
But Mayweather makes hundreds of millions on every fight, and a UFC spectacle would be no different—perhaps even more lucrative given the novelty. In a video that was livestreamed just last week, Mayweather claimed he could make $1 billion by signing a contract with the UFC.
"They just called me not too long ago and asked me to come back," Mayweather said. "I can come right back. If I wanted to I could come right back to the UFC. I can go fight in the Octagon. I can go do a three or four-fight deal in the Octagon and make a billion dollars. Remember I'm Floyd 'Money' Mayweather."
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