Floyd Mayweather Jr. Coming To MMA One Way or Another
WBC Welterweight Champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. is considering on making the switch to mixed martial arts.ESPN reports that Mayweather has his sights set on fighting under the HDNet Fights banner. In fact, Mayweather and his camp have already discussed matters with HDNet Fights owner and fellow “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Mark Cuban. Mayweather’s adviser and best friend Leonard Ellerbe confirms,
“Floyd is considering fighting with HDNet Fights. We are going to let him visit some gyms to talk to some folks about what it would take to learn. He knows it won’t be easy. But he is getting involved with MMA and HDNet Fights one way or another. He is pumped about it. He wants to go on to the next big thing. Floyd is a brilliant marketer. He follows the money.”
With a nickname like “Money,” Mayweather made the right choice in picking billionaire Cuban and his HDNet Fights organization as a potential suitor. This past year, Mayweather’s last two victories against Oscar De La Hoya and Rick Hatton were huge box office draws that saw the 39-0-0 boxer earn a payday of $50 million for the two fights. So you can be certain that Mayweather would not accept anything less for his MMA debut. On what it would take to see Mayweather in an HDNet Fights cage, Mark Cuban explains:
“If I said there’s a guaranteed $30 million payday, Floyd would be lacing them up. If not, I could see him working to train and develop and invest in MMA fighters, knowing the upside. He can teach them how to be a better boxer and add to their other skills.”
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was last seen fighting this past December 8th in Las Vegas, Nevada when he defeated English boxer, Ricky Hatton by TKO in the 10th round to retain his WBC Welterweight Championship belt.
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no f***ing way i dont want to see this prick any were near a cage he`d only be in it for the money an would prob earn more in one fight then most fighters earn in a life time, so plz dont be mugs an put him in there an if u do put him up against sum1 who will knock his head off!!
I hope he gets his head caved in. Nick Diaz would be a good first shot.
Absolutely disgusting. It makes my stomach turn just thinking about it. I would hope all the true MMA fans would boycott this disgrace. I have no issues with a boxer wanting to pursue a career in MMA, just not Mayweather who would only be doing it for the Money. If he was true to the sport he would start training and work his way up like Lesnar…that dude is bad ass. He is going to give Mir all he can handle…
Does anyone else remember when Din Thomas called this loud mouth out? Well I do and I want to see that **** Din would destroy him. Aside from that I want to see the look in his eyes when someone picks him up and slams him on his dome. Dont get me wrong I hate this guy but I want to see this just so I can see Mayweather put his “Money” where his huge gaping mouth is. Remember when he said “MMA fighters are just a bunch of drunk barfighters and i can beat anyone of them”. Lets see it big mouth
I think we all know that Mayweather will never set foot inside an MMA ring/cage. I believe he may become involved MMA in some fashion as the article states, but seriously, he will never compete in MMA. I encourage anyone curious to google Mayweather’s previous remarks regarding MMA, as he certainly is quite the jerk when discussing the subject. Not to mention his fighting career is coming to an end and while another “out of retirement” boxing match is possible for Mayweather, I’d say a “I’m switching to MMA” fight is just out of the question. I’m actually kind of angry that anyone, even Mark Cuban, would let Mayweather dabble in the MMA community after he was so publicly snobby toward the sport in the past.
ok i know the guy is a prick but this would be pretty big for mma if he does join imagine if he was in the ufc it would be pretty big if he would change into mma thats just my opinion but
Mayweather needs to stick what he thinks is the best fighting stlye boring ass boxing,Which i think are over paid compare to mma fighters – mma > boxing
Lol @ tubekid. Absolutely disgusting? That’s pretty funny!
Let him fight and he will get the f***in shock of his life when a wrestler slams this idiot on his head!!!! then what can he say about drunken barfighters ??????
haha r u guys kidding me. mayweather is the best and most well trained fighter there is. cardio beats all and if u gave him 8 months of take down defence and basic submissions and escapes he would f*** ppl up. im not saying he could dive in to the likes of huerta, penn and stevenson in lightweight but he deffinitly could start fighting some named fighters.
I dont understand why ur all against this sure hes doing it for all the wrong reasons but still am i the only one who wants to see this guy get smashed? i mean is there any doubt that if he walks into an mma ring/cage that hes not gonna walk out (atleast on his own). embrace this and hope it happens cuz if the undefeated boxing star falls maybe those dinosaurs will stop giving us **** for being mma fans
I like it. Let’s see what he can do. We have 3 camps (MMA’s better than Boxing, Boxing is better than MMA & MMA and Boxing are both great). I’d really like to see how a world class boxer can measure up when he has to defend leg kicks and take downs. I hope he comes in so we can see how he does in the MMA world. I don’t care what company it’s in, much like Lesnar, I’ll watch merely out of curiosity.
I wont order it if its outside the ufc but I will pay close attention to this and definatly find a friend or a bar where I can watch for free or alot less then the 60 bux you usually gotta pay to watch a Mayweather fight
I don’t think he’s cut out for MMA… but to say he’s doin it for all the wrong reasons (money) is kinda funny seeing how everybody was siding with randy couture when he initially quit cuz he wanted more money…
Anybody hear of a guy named Ali??? The first “new age” MMA battle was Muhammed Ali vs Atoni Anoki(sp). Anoki was a Japanese wrestler (which was/is a lot like MMA now) Ali took some leg kicks, and didn’t like it. If I remember right, they ended up calling it a draw…….
Or how about Thunder-Lips vs Balboa!!!!lol
This will never happen anything, unless he’s a f***ing retard. The dude never gets hit when he fights. After he takes a couple elbows to the head and bleeds all over himself, he would tap like a little b****.
this could be the worst thing to happen to mma, I do not support this. This will turn the ufc into the wwf. It reminds me of when athletes in team sports such as the nfl and nhl would only play if the pay was retardedly higher than anyone elses. Mark cuban will destroy mma as we know it if he allows mayweather to fight and get a payday which is unheard of for any other fighters. Someone needs to put a stop to this before it happens.
Thunderlips owned Balboa!!! haha
This is crap just like stupid kimbo slice. I know the man is training with bas but come on…stick him against a real heavyweight thats not gonna throw the fight ie Bo Cantrell.
Floyd has no business in mma. Even an average grappler will f*** him up. With that said there is no one in mma within 30 lbs that can stand up with Floyd either. The man is a GREAT AMERICAN BOXER and has done more to revive that sport any other lately. At least I can watch his fights. This is hype, because there’s no one left.
Seems like there are a lot of Mayweather haters here! But seriously folks, its inconcievable that Mayweather (love him or hate him) would instantly get destroyed. I love Martials Arts and Boxing and have been doing both (as if they are really that different) for 30 years now. A boxer can make a transition to MMA simply because his hands have already been trained for striking and Mayweather is a master striker. If he can learn to shoot, sprawl, and kick which as a fighter he should not have a problem with, then he should do okay. I like him in MMA because maybe he can bring some REAL money to MMA fighers who in my opinion get paid peanuts for putting on some of the most spectacular fights ever filmed.
My two cents..
I think Hideo Tokoro or Jens Pulver would be a perfect opponent for Mayweather. But it should be written in the contract, that the WINNER of the fight should get the big money, and the loser gets the usual payment (like Tokoro, or Pulver gets after a fight.)So if Mayweather loses, he can go home like a lonely dog with an empty pocket, and finally an mma fighter gets a briefcase full of cash. But if he wins, well then he deserved his money, and lived up to his name. It would be cool. Too bad, it’s never gonna happen this way
(((
You guys are all a bunch of idiots. I got much respect for mma but boxers are some bad muthas and PBF is at the top of his class right now. If you know anything about the sweet science you would know that his last fight was a work of art. A nearly perfect fight vs a top notch world class fighter like Ricky Hatton. You gotta respect that. Sure Floyd would have a lot of work ahead of him if he were to seriously enter the cage but I will say this for sure, Floyd would have an easier time in the cage against the best mma fighter of his weight class than that best mma fighter would have against Floyd in the ring… and quit with the money b.s. You think mma fighters don’t enjoy a big pay day when they can get it?!
i hate pretty boy floyd, let him make the switch, i can’t wait to see him getting his ass beat the frick down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE ULTIMATE MALE VERSUS THE ULTIMATE MEATBALL !!!!!!!!!!! LOL
iron mike, big pay day is one thing, and I agree they deserve it. But to put boxing salaries in mma overnight would cause a f***ing disaster. The promoters got the money no doubt, but to pay 30 million(or something in that range) to someone who hasn’t even tried on the gloves yet would be ridiculous. What is the highest paid fighter making, 2 or 3 mill. Leave it at that and let it escalate as time go’s on. And you are the retard/idiot in this conversation, when was the last time your hero PBF fought 3 or 4 times in a year, never, when was the last time you saw three or 4 title caliber fights on one card during a boxing ppv, doesn’t happen. leave pb what the f***ever his name is and the rest of em where they are.
iron mike u chat **** mate
my first love has always been boxing. I’ve been boxing since I was ten years old and at age 20 I started training jiu jitsu, then mma. The tansition was pretty smooth because I already had the love for scrapping. So the boxrs who didin’t do well were out of their prime and didn’t even work on ground game. But I train mma and do alright and my discipline to get in top condition isnowwhere as close to how PBF loves to train, and remember he has elbows, shins, like any other human so I hope all your **** talking him down will motivate him into start training his mma work which I beleive he will catch on really fast. So don’t be suprised when he makes his debut and does well. Plus it’ll bring mma fighters the kind of payday that they deserve.so appreciate don’t hate.
Some of you guys make some outstanding points.. But most of you are just hating. Do your research before you talk trash
1. Mayweather is 30yrs old and has a 39-0 record with 25 KOs after turning pro in 1996 ( had to fight 3 or 4 times in there somewhere.. DEL)
2. 25 KOs in 39 fights? thats no weak ass right there..
3. Cardio is crazy… come on 12 round fights.. put a MMA guy in the ring with him for 12 rounds and lets see who comes out on top.
The **** he was talking about MMA was f***ed up but as a non-bias person I know that with 8-9 months of takedown defense he would be a force to recon with considering his speed and power. And like it or not it would be good for MMA (the greatest pound for pound boxer in the world chooses MMA over boxing).
sean, you tell me, could you stand and swing your hands and move in circles for 12 rounds, or lay on your back and defend from someone who is elbowing, kneeing and punching, and not to mention trying to seperate your limbs and or your head from your body for 5 rounds, the difference is there, an mma fighter has to withstand much more of an onslaught from an opponent than a boxer does, also needs more skill to defend it. I am not a hater of any combative sport which I have paid money to see. I was big into boxing when tyson, lewis, holyfield and dela hoya were kicking ass. But truth be told, boxing and mma are apples and oranges, totally different, and one does taste ****tier than the other, and the ****ty one is boxing. Also, when was the time you were refering to when PBF fought three title worthy opponents, randy couture and chuck liddell fought 3 each within 16 months. Find a new hero bud
I’ve personally done both.. I do believe MMA is a tougher sport.. but my point is all the **** talking people are doing about him is just ****ty.. He is not my hero by far.. but i do respect him as a fighter and do believe with the proper training he could do alright in the sport.
del u talk a lot of sence people should listen to u, u got the same view as me i dont hate boxing i like it but mma is twice as hard as boxing. end ov story
If Mayweather can learn to defend the takedown, and stay out of the clinch…he can be a badass in this sport. I personally hate the dude…he is a cocky, arrogant piece of ****. But I agree a little with Sean….he is a fighter. He has some of the quickest hands I have ever seen and he packs a solid punch behind it. If he learns to defend the takedown like Liddell….it could be very interesting.
Do you think making a switch is easy as 8 mos? whoa! sorry dudes.. most of the fighter he will fight trains ground skill all of there lives and Is PBF that good to just train 8 mos and be able to defend someone in top caliber in ground fights? come one guys? we know it is different once in the ring. Learning kicks also comes into play. Boxing is boxing, MMA is different. He might have potential dominating mma is a different story. Just look at mirko he is great stand up but up to noe he still struggles ground skills even if he trains hard for it, Look at bas? how many years did it took to make his ground skills to the standard as today? 8 mos fo Mayweather?no no.. it took a decade for that guy.
High thigh, lower knee, and straight sternum kicks KILL traditional boxers (and counter punchers) I was wondering how long it would take somebody to do the same thing tO Chuck as would work against a Floyd Mayweather. He has been in boxing for a long time. Good habits in boxing can translate to some bad movements in a cage. I still say kicks to a boxers legs are much more devistating than say kicks to a wrestlers legs. Boxers legs are made for floating, not absorbing that kind of punishment. 1 or 2 kicks takes away a good portion of the power and speed from those punches you know. I do respect boxers, but like everybody says, apples and oranges. I do have a lot more respect for boxers that respect MMA. Roy Jones had nothing but good things to say about the sport and knows the difference.
Do any of you guys actually compete are in a real gym? When I’m in the gym and I see boxer vs mma sparring boxing stlye it’s not even fair. The boxers are told to take it easy. And when some of the boxers mix it up on the ground, the boxers hang in with the mma guys. And from what I see the boxers have a much better overall endurance. I have to say seeing with my own eyes, from both sides of the fence Floyd Mayweather beats, not only beats he will knockout any mma fighter in the world at 147 or 154lbs.
P.S. To all the gutless people out there taking steroids, grow some balls, get some real courage, not courage in a needle and fight drug free!
I can see that most of you know absolutely nothing about fighting. Why are you people trying to compare this glorified street fighting **** to real fighters. Most boxers hae been trained, from an early age, the art of knocking your ass out!! I don’t care how much grapling or martial arts one knows…against a good boxer he’s nothing!!! I see a lot of people on here are probably wimps to live out their dreams vicariously through the lives of warriors. You b****es need stop talking about it and be about it!!!!
[...] Mayweather Jr. Coming to MMA One Way or Another [...]
Forgive me for intruding but wasn’t this the origin of the sport of MMA…to see which styles would prevail, how a wrestler would fare against a kickboxer? And how a Kenpo specialist would fare against a BJJ black belt. Many of these questions have been answered. But what about the question: “How would one of history’s best pound-for-pound boxers fare against a machine like Sean Sherk or someone with the submissions and flexibility of BJ Penn?” This seems to be the true spirit of MMA, in my humble opinion. And if Mayweather is accustomed to a $30 million payday and that is what it will take to answer the question that Dana White or Mark Cuban are willing to front the money to answer, so be it.
I have to ring in again, having gone back and reread some of the previous comments. As exciting and mainstream as MMA has become, it has been well-established that certain techniques are good counters for other certain techniques, etc. Strategies are pretty consistent for dealing with specialists in each of the three main areas, grappling, striking, and BJJ. The question now is the one from my previous message: “How would one of history’s best pound-for-pound boxers fare against a machine like Sean Sherk or someone with the submissions and flexibility of BJ Penn?”
Chris Lytle comes to mind as someone with an extensive boxing background whose ability, though nowhere near Floyd’s, has been relatively neutralized. MMA is about making the fight about YOUR skills, not your opponents. So if Floyd has enough respect for this sport (not so far) to develop those skills, he could be successful. I absolutely believe he could develop those skills and with his ability and talent do so in a short amount of time. I don’t believe he could strut into a cage without modifying his skill set and be a viable opponent. I personally feel that the days of the one-dimension fighter are gone, no matter how skilled he may be. Royce Gracie may well be the best BJJ practitioner in the world and he started probably around the age Floyd did. He was very successful when the sport was one in which fighters brought one specialty. But the sport has changed. The one-dimensional fighter doesn’t seem to have a place in MMA anymore. Does anyone remember Royce trapped under Matt Hughes in an armbar? Maybe you remember him getting pummeled face down on the mat with Hughes on his back.
First and foremost: This whole ” Floyd Mayweather is an arrogant prick. ” —— it’s beginning to wear thin. Floyd has to; in order to get sales, hype the fight as much as he can, even by becoming the villain to make money. At heart, if you know anything about him, he is a genuinely nice individual. I don’t know this from personal experience, however, I don’t pay $54.99 to watch Floyd on a personal level. I watch to survey the most technical fighter in the world. Furthermore, this transition to Mixed-Martial Arts may be the biggest spectacle ever in sports history. You have the second highest paid sports star fighting brawlers in a full-contact atmosphere. All technicalities aside —— I feel Floyd, if trained correctly, can and will go far in the sport. His endurance / stamina and fortitude are way above standard, apply this to his potential future in MMA, it is quite possible you have the most versatile, most dynamic and decisive fighter ever built. Excuse the goofy analogy, but for those who are familiar with Underworld —— Floyd would possibly be the Michael Corvin of combat sports. Vampire/Lycan. Slick Boxing style integrated with a destructive MMA art form. Plus, on the topic of Financial obligations for either Mark Cuban or Dana White, if they want to pay over $30 million to see Floyd do battle, so be it. It’s their problem, not ours, we as the fans are viewing history in the making and I highly doubt paying an extra $10/$20 on top of the typical $39.99 for a UFC PPV would mean much in this situation. Moreover, most Floyd-Haters hate how he gets paid so much, this and that and the other thing. Listen, he deserves every nickel of that salary, coming from nothing to something in eleven years time and remains UNDEFEATED. —— That is extraordinary by any level of standards. They’re professionals, yet the critics disrespect. It’s silly.
Ryo
I am inclined to agree with much of what you said. Floyd is selling tickets with his personality in a sport that is in severe trouble. I don’t mean to imply that MMA is going to overcome boxing as the world’s pugilistic sport of choice. I think there is plenty of room for both. The main difference between the sports is that the world of boxing has done nothing to insure a future for their sport. Figures like Don King have alienated audiences and abused the trust and lives of fighters and contributed nothing to the sport, choosing to focus only on lining their own pockets. Beyond that, they generally look for one big payday per event, one big fight that will draw a crowd. The UFC works to put together an entire fight card. Even undercard fights are promoted and exciting. If you doubt this, look at the nearly vacant arena in a boxing event until the main card, versus the UFC where the arena is packed and the fans standing even before the event begins. Could Floyd compete? Absolutely…he is a phenomenal talent. But not without modifying existing/developing new skills. He could certainly win some fights with an unaltered style but not contend. The problem I think most MMA fighters have with the guy is that he claims he could strut into an octagon any day of the week and beat MMA fighters at their own game, and with great ease. While MMA fighters will readily agree that their sport is not one where they could show up and outbox the best. These are different sports, but Floyd seems to be the only one who cant acknowledge that fact. Does his attitude sell tickets? yes. Is it arrogant? yes. The UFC has arrogant ticket-selling fighters like Tito Ortiz, who is every bit as bad as Floyd.
muaythaijarrod —
Boxing is in the decline, I won’t dispute that, but Boxing is a sport that has it’s highs and lows, it’s apparent it’s in it’s first ever low in comparison to it’s past record breaking highs when it was virtually the only combat sport on television in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and on through the 90’s that recieved everything but bad reviews. However, now that the UFC has elevated and became a force to be reckoned with. As you mentioned; thanks to the spiking PPV costs and sub-par matches prior to the main event really gave Boxing a bad name. Making it difficult for one man to rise from the ashes to save it. It’ll take more than just Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Furthermore, I give Floyd Mayweather credit on his confident side. I really believe Floyd understands the hardwork of Mixed-Martial Arts and respects the fights because he himself is associated in the same business. As you know, during the conclusion of the De La Hoya showdown, Floyd commented about a certain MMA fighter; Chuck Liddell by ridiculing his role as a ” fighter ” by calling him a low-level bar fighter who could never make in Boxing. Whether not this true, yes, Floyd cannot acknowledge the fact that MMA and Boxing differ, but that depends on the fighter. Any man can adapt to his surroundings, but it takes a genius to pick it up and use it proficiently. Floyd is ever bit of genius and I find guys like Dana White who’re envious of Floyd’s talent, deep down he wants a fighter of his caliber in his ranks. Money talks, Dana understands this, and if Floyd brings money to the sport he will keep him around as long as POSSIBLE. I just don’t understand how he’s willing to pay Floyd millions but his highest paid fighter only makes $500,000. That’s a slap in the face to those in his stable.
Yo, Money Mayweather is going to KO the MMA.
One thing you haters have to realize is that mayweather has advanced genetics. As much as you hate him, obviously because you all are jealous, is that he is the real deal. He’s the type of person that won’t be recognized until years after his death…yes, he’s one of those type of cats. So all you haters be ready to eat your words when he goes in there and knocks out those suckas. You have to remember one thing too…he was a street fighter before he was a boxer. He has over 20 years of technical training..unlike some of these ufc cats. Stop hatin’ on my man because all of yall will be suckin’ his dik once he does to the mma what he’s done to boxing
SPMaan,
I’d be interested to see what evidence you have that modern geneticists do not for making a claim like “Mayweather has advanced genetics.” Also that’s is a pretty broad statement to make without any real evidence from a genetic standpoint. I also disagree that you think he won’t be recognized until his death. He’s the most recognizable, well-paid, fighter there is alive today. He is undefeated with an overwhelming majority of his fights ending in a knockout. Everybody knows this. What sort of recognition do you think he isn’t getting???? And i’s like to address each one of your points individually.
-”he was a street fighter before he was a boxer”
I’m not sure how this is relevant. MMA is not street fighting, and if you think it is then you clearly don’t understand it. Even if he was, was he a professional street fighter, or did he just get in a few fights and then decide to start boxing?
-”He has over 20 years of technical training..unlike some of these ufc cats”
this may be true but also makes him unlike a lot of other BOXING cats. plus since MMA in its modern incarnation is only 10-14 years old, it makes it impossible for MMA fighters to have 20 years of MMA training. However there are plenty of MMA guys who have 20-30 years of training in a specific art, such as BJJ or wrestling.
I will reiterate what I said before. Floyd’s boxing skills would make him lethal in MMA, so long as he develops some additional skills to keep the fight about his style. But thus far, in the UFC in its current form, no fighter has been able to be successful with only one art form and no supplementary skills. Perhaps Floyd will prove to be the exception. I doubt it, but I am as curious as anyone to see how his overwhelming Boxing ability would fare in MMA.
[...] have been all kinds of rumors and talk in the past about Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. coming to the world of mixed martial [...]
I would love to see that little bastard go to mma, i would love to see him run his mouth to a real fighter and and knocked out! He wouldn’t make it out the first round, the first minute, i hate this tabloid punk!
Everyone is pretty up much up to speed except for Ruben, maybe his just a kid and doesn’t realise the difference between a regular fighter and a World Class fighter so Ruben take a look. Here’s the link. I have alot of respect for BJ Penn, and Jens Pulver, but they would be so far outclassed, Floyd would have to bring the aphabets back.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CUhWCBsEymU Heres’ that link. ENjoy
i really think he would do good in the mma i seen lots of fights coming from the central vally mostly every one dont have good stand up . if he trains for a good 2years in the ground movement he would do good
Where in the central valley JOJO? California?
MMA 12 rounds is not comparable to Boxing in any way. The energy is takes to defend submissions far outweighs staying on your feet and getting hit with padded gloves.
You get hit harder and have to work harder in MMA.
I would love to see this moron fight Damian Maia as his first fight, then after that he’ll realize he’s in under his head. Personally I just can’t see him ever getting his ground skills up to par to ever be a champ in MMA unless he is just fed punchers.