Undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. once again retired from the sport after earning a TKO victory over UFC superstar Conor McGregor inside the squared circle back in 2017. That being said, “Money” Mayweather has since been voicing an interest in making a run inside the octagon.
Mayweather has been hinting to a possible run under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) promotion. Since then, UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has come forward to reveal that he is going to begin training Mayweather in the sport of mixed martial arts.
Speaking to Fight Hype, Mayweather has since offered an update on the situation. The pugilist phenom is already in training and believes there is a 50 percent chance he competes by the end of the year.
“I started training already. Not the physical part – endurance, as far as moving around. So far, I’ve started running. …
“I’m thinking about fighting in the MMA, I’ve thought about it. … I started training in Miami. I look forward to fighting probably by the end of the year. We don’t know. Right now it’s a 50-50 (chance), not a hundred percent. But we’ve started training.”
“Me and Woodley have spoke to each other on numerous occasions. We talked. We said we’re going to start working out, as far as he’s got a great hand game already. I’m going to be working with different guys in the jiu-jitsu world. My wrestling game, I’m going to be working with guys with the wrestling. My kicking game, I’m going to be working with guys for the kicking game. Before I get in the octagon, I’ve got to be well rounded, all around the board.”
“Fighting is not nothing new for me. Fighting barefoot is something new, but fighting is nothing new for me. The thing is this — (say I’m) fighting a guy that has some unbelievable jiu-jitsu skills, unbelievable wrestling skills, but the thing is this: His chances of getting to me, I mean, the percentage of his chances getting to me to lock up with me, he has to come in first. But he may lock up with me, and he may get wrapped up in certain ways. You don’t know how things could play out or how things could happen.
“With MMA, anything can happen. It’s brutal. It’s very, very brutal.”
“I know right now I’m the biggest name in MMA. Hands down, I know this. And the second biggest name is Conor McGregor.”
“I can’t say right now. I can’t really say how things are going to play out. I’m a numbers man. I’m all about the numbers.”
“Conor McGregor, tough, vicious competitor. Of course, just like he feels he got dynamite hands with the 4-ounce gloves on, I feel like I got dynamite power with the 4-ounce gloves on.”
“It’d be hard for me and Conor McGregor to fight, because if I was to fight in the MMA, I would have to fight at 145 (pounds). The weight class I would fight at is 145. … In MMA it would be totally different, because we don’t have no shoes on, and with 4-ounce gloves on, you think I’m fast with 8-ounce gloves on, imagine how fast I’d be with 4-ounce gloves on.”
