Report: Floyd Mayweather Jr. in talks to sign with the UFC

Floyd Mayweather Jr. may actually be coming to the Octagon according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

Okamoto, who recently spoke with White, is reporting that the UFC President is currently in talks with Mayweather and his camp about signing a deal that would bring the legendary boxer to the sport of mixed martial arts.

“It’s real. He was talking about Conor McGregor was that real? Have you heard Floyd talk about many things that aren’t real?” White said about Mayweather signing with the UFC.

Mayweather recently spoke about a potential 3-4 fight deal with the UFC on social media that could bring him 1 billion dollars. The ‘Money Team’ leader retired from boxing with a record of 50-0 after defeating McGregor via a 10th round TKO last August. That fight would garner 4.3 million pay-per-view buys in the United States making it the second most bought event behind 2015’s Mayweather vs. Pacquiao mega fight.

Here’s my quick take on the matter. If Floyd Mayweather Jr. decides to compete inside of a cage he will make just about as much money as he did when he fought McGregor inside of a boxing ring, if not more. There’s nothing in the world that Mayweather loves more than money and at 40-years-old (he’ll be 41 in February) his money-making days as a fighter are just about over; he can only retire so many times.

There’s nothing in boxing that can get Mayweather a dollar amount that would be worth it outside of a fight with GGG or a rematch with Canelo. Both of those matchups are high-risk when it comes to his pristine 50-0 record. As far as MMA goes, everyone will expect him to lose. And he will. Just like McGregor was in his world, he’ll be the highest paid loser in the history of the sport. The man could literally tap out before McGregor even touches him and he’d make more than any other mixed martial artist—not including McGregor—will make in their career. And he’ll make it in just one fight. You thought their fight between the ropes was a heist? You haven’t seen nothing yet.

I believe that Floyd Mayweather Jr. could compete inside of the Octagon in 2018. If you think that’s a crazy statement, think about how crazy it sounded the first time you heard that Conor McGregor may end up boxing Mayweather. These are crazy times. Not making Mayweather versus McGregor inside of the Octagon next year would almost be silly if Mayweather is truly on board for it. It’ll be the biggest fight in the history of the UFC, whether you like it or not. It will shatter the 1.6 million buy PPV record that McGregor and Nate Diaz set at UFC 202. There’s just way too much money too be made for everyone involved to pass this fight up. The only thing that could ever stop it would be Mayweather’s concern for his own well-being. A billion dollars can easily cure that concern.