Floyd Mayweather digs at Conor McGregor for melee, predicts 'crazy' money for UFC debut

Floyd Mayweather writes off a comeback in the ring. The octagon is a different story, though.

During tonight’s Showtime broadcast of Lara vs. Hurd, Mayweather told ringside reporter Jim Gray he’s still weighing a comeback, but only in the UFC.

“Retirement has been great, but as you know and everyone knows, I go in retirement, and I come back,” said Mayweather, who was last seen in the squared circle beating now ex-UFC champ Conor McGregor for win No. 50 in boxing. “It is possible I do come back, but if I do come back, it has to be in the octagon.”

Mayweather (50-0 boxing) professes his newfound interest in MMA has met opposition from his longtime advisor, Al Haymon, who was instrumental in putting together “The Money Fight” with McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC). But the undefeated champ professes to be more interested in the participation of his broadcast partners – CBS and Showtime – in clearing a path to the cage.

“Al Haymon says no,” Mayweather. “I spoke with Showtime, (and) I spoke with CBS. If I do come back, Showtime and CBS has to be involved.”

To many MMA and boxing observers, that might be the one cue that Mayweather’s MMA aspirations are destined for the scrapbin. UFC President Dana White wrote off Showtime as a partner after executive Stephen Espinoza publicly contradicted his declaration that Mayweather vs. McGregor was the biggest pay-per-view event in history.

On Friday, Espinoza mocked McGregor’s legal trouble after a now-infamous bus attack in the buildup to Saturday’s UFC 223. It was another knock in a running back-and-forth that began with a promotional tour for “The Money Fight.” McGregor turned Espinoza into a villain.

In the wake of McGregor’s highly publicized melee, Mayweather believed it was only right to get in a subtle shot of his own.

“I feel that when you have reached such high status, you have to carry yourself in a classy way,” he said. “Outside the ring, you have to carry yourself as a gentleman.”

But if history is any indication, no fight is impossible when a lot of money is on the line. Mayweather claims to have started training for his MMA debut, enlisting UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley to learn the sport’s finer points.

A highly lucrative and long-speculated rematch looms with McGregor, who’s said Mayweather promised him a rematch in the octagon after a shellacking in boxing. All of that is secondary, however, to the numbers offered to Mayweather for a return.

“You got to talk to Showtime (and) CBS,” he said. “The money is going to be crazy. I can do whatever I want to do. I’m Floyd Mayweather.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.