Floyd Mayweather has no interest in actually pursuing a career in the UFC.
Just hours after UFC president Dana White claimed he was in talks with Mayweather about a possible transition into mixed martial arts, the retired boxer has shut the door on that possibility.
The rumors first started with Mayweather saying that he could come to the UFC and make a billion dollars within just a few fights, but then White added on Wednesday that the two sides had actually had conversations about him joining the promotion.
Now Mayweather has responded by denying that he has any interest in fighting in the UFC much less pursuing a second career in MMA.
“That’s not what I said. Exactly what I said is this, if I made a billion dollars before, I could do it again. If I chose to get in the UFC and fight three fights or fight four fights and then fight Conor McGregor, I could make a million dollars, which I can. I can do it in three fights or even four fights, I could do make a billion dollars if I choose to get into the Octagon and fight,” Mayweather explained when speaking to FightHype.
“We just don’t know what the future holds for Floyd Mayweather. I don’t look forward to getting back in a boxing ring. That’s what I don’t look forward to doing. I’m just saying I could — I’m not doing it — but I’m saying what I could do to make a billion dollars quick if I wanted to do that. That’s what I was saying.”
Mayweather, 40, retired from boxing in August after he earned a 10th round TKO against UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor in a fight that likely earned him more than $200 million. The fight was the second biggest pay-per-view of all time with 4.3 million sold and the event generated more than $600 million in revenue.
As much as Mayweather likes to make money, fighting in the UFC would certainly yield him a big paycheck but there’s little doubt that he would be a massive underdog against almost any veteran fighter on the roster.
At the end of the day, Mayweather says he was never actually talking about fighting in the UFC, only pointing out that he could do it and make a lot of money at the same time.
“I never said I was going to fight in the UFC. I didn’t say that,” Mayweather stated. “I said if I wanted to and what I could do. I’m not going to do it though.”
