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Earlier this year, Conor McGregor defected from the UFC to take on Floyd Mayweather in one of the most hyped up (and most watched) boxing matches of all time. With 49 professional fights under his belt, Mayweather was the obvious favorite, and he sailed into his retirement with a record of 50-0 after a TKO in the tenth round.
This isn’t the first time Mayweather has hung up the gloves, and while an estimated $350 million payday is virtually guaranteed to make him set for life, rumors about a potential rematch began to swirl almost immediately after he stepped out of the ring.
After the bout, McGregor revealed Mayweather had expressed interest in a rematch in the Octagon, which you’d think would be just as much of a lopsided fight as the one back in August. However, it appears the possibility of getting his shit rocked hasn’t deterred Mayweather, who is reportedly seriously thinking about signing a contract with the UFC.
ESPN spoke to UFC President Dana White, who confirmed the company has had discussions with the Mayweather camp about the possibility of the boxer converting to MMA:
“We’re talking to Floyd about doing a UFC deal. It’s real. 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 fucking happened. Anything is possible.”
White has previously said that literally every fighter in the UFC would be able to take down Mayweather if given the chance, and while his comments might have been a bit hyperbolic, it’s hard to imagine the boxer would be able to master the multiple styles utilized by most MMA fighters in a short period of time.
With that said, I can’t wait to see if the bout would eclipse the previous matchup when it comes to the number of people who stream it illegally.