Floyd Mayweather: Any return to fighting 'would have to be in the Octagon'

Floyd Mayweather continues to bang the drum on a run in the UFC, and we have to admit he’s starting to sound a bit convincing to us. The first month worth of MMA talk we wrote off as just Mayweather making headlines and enjoying the hype. But these days there’s a lot of different people talking matter-of-factly about Floyd actually following through on this crazy scheme.

There was UFC president Dana White, who lamented the potential loss of a McGregor vs. Mayweather fight while raging over the Irish champ’s felonious behavior at UFC 223. And then there’s Showtime Sports exec Stephen Espinoza, who said a UFC return was more likely than one in boxing. Via Sporting News:

“I would say probably better odds on the Octagon because we know Floyd loves a challenge and he loves doing the unexpected,” Espinoza told Sporting News. “After 22 years in the boxing business, he’s really proven virtually all he has to prove. This MMA thing is a whole new challenge. I think that’s the kind of thing that gets him out of bed every day, that gets his juices flowing.”

And here’s the latest from Floyd Mayweather, who jumped at the opportunity to tease a UFC run during a boxing event he was promoting on Showtime.

”Retirement has been great,” Mayweather said. “But as you know and everyone knows, I go on retirement, I come back. Is it possible that I come back? Yes. But if I do come back, it has to be in the Octagon.”

There were some stipulations, though.

“I spoke with Showtime, I spoke with CBS. If I do come back, Showtime and CBS has to be involved ... You got to talk to Showtime CBS. The money is going to be crazy. I can do whatever I want to do. I’m Floyd Mayweather!”

UFC welterweight Tyron Woodley has been talking about training Floyd up and getting him ready for an MMA debut, going so far as to claim “Money” could be ready in a matter of weeks. But it’s unclear if the two have actually stepped into the cage and done any work yet. And if Mayweather wants to do more than collect a paycheck and get finished in 30 seconds, it’s going to take him months if not years of time to avoid getting wrecked.

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