Why Floyd Mayweather's talk of a UFC fight shouldn't be dismissed so easily

(This column first appeared over at usatoday.com.)

Floyd Mayweather speaks so loudly, so brashly and so often, that it is tempting to dismiss his latest verbal offering as little more than an empty effort to stay relevant in retirement.

Earlier this week, the former pound-for-pound boxing champion insisted he would soon begin training in MMA, words that carried with them the implied tease that Mayweather could square off against an opponent – presumably Conor McGregor – in the UFC.

There are so many reasons why that outcome seems ludicrous, and we will get into all that. But, for now, just consider this.

Whatever your thoughts on Mayweather, one of the most divisive boxers in history and with a domestic violence rap sheet that makes for ugly reading, the fact remains that some of his more recent boasts, proclamations and predictions have actually ended up coming true.

The thought of Mayweather and McGregor meeting in a boxing ring was laughable and dismissed as slapstick chatter until it happened. And when it did and everyone involved got richer, it looked like that would be the last we’d see of Mayweather as a combatant.

The bout with McGregor in August sold well, but with that curiosity sated, there isn’t really anywhere else for Mayweather to turn unless he wants, at the age of 41, to take on one of boxing’s young guns.

Unless, he decides to leap into the MMA world and capitalize on the public’s intrigue once more. He says he will imminently begin training with UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, he gave a detailed evaluation of his all-round martial arts abilities and, you know what, he sounded like he meant it.

Or he could be trolling. We will see.

“We’re going to start working out real soon,” Mayweather told TMZ. “Even if it takes six to eight months, whatever it takes, we want to make sure everything is done correctly.

“I can wrestle. My wrestling game is not that bad. One a scale from one to 10, I would say it’s probably a seven. My hand game, on a scale of one to 10, is 100. The kicking game … that’s probably a four. We have to tweak a few things to take things to the next level.”

We know Mayweather cherishes his unbeaten boxing record. He avoided some fighters and fought cautiously in other bouts, rarely competed outside his hometown of Las Vegas and waited until Manny Pacquiao was past his best to fight him.

An MMA fight would have no bearing on his record at all. McGregor is 21-3 in MMA, 9-1 in the UFC and is now credited with an 0-1 boxing record.

The theory is that Mayweather doesn’t like getting hurt – who does? – but he still worked for 20 years in the professional ranks of the most punishing of all sports, so it’s hardly like he’s a chicken. Also, it is possible that an MMA fight with McGregor could follow some version of adapted rules aimed at protecting him. Even if not, it’s not absurd to think McGregor could be persuaded to carry Mayweather through the fight a little, much like Mayweather did for him in their boxing match.

The biggest factor of all, is we know that Mayweather loves money, and while his lifestyle remains lavish, he has gotten a little better at understanding the math behind it. If you want a lifetime of private jets and luxury travel, then it needs a healthy bank balance to fund it. Mayweather had a fortune before he took on McGregor and collected another one on that night, but a UFC showdown would shatter all records, largely because people would hope to see Mayweather suffer the kind of beating he never sustained in boxing.

No MMA deal is agreed and Mayweather’s not even training yet. He’s unpredictable and moody and may change his mind tomorrow. He’s hardly been a good ambassador either for his own sport or sports in general, and he’s taken too much of the public’s money and not delivered enough excitement.

But he’s not averse to the unusual or ground-breaking, especially if it will make him a buck of 400 million of them, and while you know he never loses at boxing, you also never know what he’ll do next.

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