Well MMAers, You're about to your wish (Mayweather to MMA, maybe)...

[Kermit]

Mayweather mulling move to MMA in deal with Cuban
By Dan Rafael and Marc Stein
ESPN.com

Updated: December 22, 2007, 4:04 AM ET

Floyd Mayweather Jr., the world's No. 1 boxer, is strongly considering a revolutionary jump to mixed martial arts under a deal being discussed with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's adviser and best friend, told ESPN.com Friday night that the five-division world champion, who generated 3.25 million pay-per-view buys and more than $200 million in revenue in two mega fights in 2007, came away from a Thursday meeting with Cuban giving serious thought to taking his game and considerable drawing power to MMA.

Mark Cuban on Floyd Mayweather's possible jump to MMA: "He wants to go on to the next big thing."

"It's definitely something he is interested in, and when Floyd makes his move, obviously it's going to be a mega event," Ellerbe said. "We don't have a timetable. Floyd is taking some time off, but Floyd understands what is involved. You have to take time to go out and understand what you're getting involved in, and he's ready to do that. But it's something he's definitely interested in doing.

"Mark Cuban is a very successful business man and has some very, very successful business ventures that we've discussed. We're looking to do a lot of business with Mark. He's a great guy, and we had a great meeting. Doing an MMA event with him is most definitely something we are looking at, among many things we are looking at doing with Mark Cuban."

Mayweather's interest in participating in an MMA event was sparked after he struck up a friendship with Cuban during their participation this season as contestants on the ABC reality series "Dancing with the Stars."

Cuban was Mayweather's guest at the fight and even carried two of his championship belts into the ring before he knocked out England's Ricky Hatton to retain the welterweight world championship Dec. 8 in Las Vegas.

Mayweather and Cuban were together again Thursday in Las Vegas, where they met to discuss various business ventures, including Mayweather participating in an MMA event.

A few boxers, such as former heavyweight contenders Ray Mercer and Frans Botha, have attempted to compete in mixed martial arts with little success. Mayweather's entrance would bring it to another level, especially at a time when the sports have been pitted against each other by fans and media -- MMA as the hotshot newcomer trying to overtake the century-old, more traditional sweet science.

One of Cuban's many business interests is ownership of HDNet Fights, a fledgling mixed martial arts promotional company whose bouts are aired on Cuban's HDNet. Cuban promoted his second event Dec. 15 in Dallas.

"Floyd is considering fighting with HDNet Fights," Cuban told ESPN.com. "We are going to let him visit some gyms to talk to some folks about what it would take to learn. He knows it won't be easy. But he is getting involved with MMA and HDNet Fights one way or another. He is pumped about it. He wants to go on to the next big thing. Floyd is a brilliant marketer. He follows the money."

Indeed, Mayweather, like Cuban, knows how to make money. Mayweather, 30, won the year's two biggest fights, a decision against Oscar De La Hoya in May in a fight that shattered all boxing revenue records and a 10th-round knockout of Hatton that did 850,000 buys and $47 million in television revenue on HBO PPV.

Mayweather-De La Hoya, with 2.4 million buys, set the all-time PPV record. Mayweather-Hatton was the biggest PPV fight in history not involving De La Hoya or heavyweights Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.

Mayweather earned about $50 million for the two fights.

"If I said there's a guaranteed $30 million payday, Floyd would be lacing them up," Cuban said, optimistic that Mayweather would eventually participate in an MMA match. "If not, I could see him working to train and develop and invest in MMA fighters, knowing the upside. He can teach them how to be a better boxer and add to their other skills."

After each of his last three fights, Mayweather has talked about retirement or, at least, an extended break. Ellerbe said Mayweather is on vacation now but that when he returns, they'll discuss the prospect of an MMA bout in more detail.

"Floyd is about taking on challenges," Ellerbe said. "This ain't some kind of prank. That is one of many things we've talked about with Mark. Floyd would have to take time to really understand it, but it is most definitely something he is interested in."

Dan Rafael is ESPN.com's boxing writer. Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/box...ory?id=3165552

[Evan]

It will never happen......its a PR stunt.

But...running on the small chance its real...

He would have to take off fighting for about 2 years and train jujitsu nearly fulltime to be able to compete.

With that said... He's very gifted and his cardio is probably where it needs to be already. He would just have to learn how to fight with his whole body.

He's 30 so he still has time but he has been training boxing for so long it might be so against the grain for him fight off his feet it may not work.

[TheTruth]

He'll never get the kind of money to fight MMA that he can boxing. He just made $50 million for 2 fights. Cuban is just trying to get his HDnet fights more publicity.

[Evan]

Cuban would pay him any amount of money it takes to launch HDNet so I think he would.

He has already taken such a massive hit another $30mil or whatever it would take is nothing to him.

As a side note he simply launched HDNet too early...

[Evan]

And for the record...he would last about 1 minute max if he didn't train MMA for a few years.

[dbreiden83080]

What a joke. So if he does this he will fight a few guys with just standup and no takedowns, so he will KO them easy. He'll make a bunch of money beating a few tomato cans and then retire before he has to fight a well rounded fighter who will kick his ass.

[Rip-Hamilton32]

lol no1 in the right mind will stand with him even if they are strikers

[dbreiden83080]

lol no1 in the right mind will stand with him even if they are strikers

Depends if he fights a guy with kickboxing ability as well as boxing. He will KO guys with one dimensional strikes and ty wrestling skills and then quit before he has to face someone with some MMA ability. His name will guarantee him big money, nomatter who he fights. You do know there is more to striking then just standing there and throwing punches. Put Floyd in a clinch and do damage with Mua Thai and dirty boxing and watch him tapout.

[Rip-Hamilton32]

what about floyds chin? safe to say its solid?

[dbreiden83080]

what about floyds chin? safe to say its solid?

Solid in Boxing but the gloves in MMA are a different story. At the end of the day all i am saying is he will not fight anyone who is a threat to him. He has talked about retirement for a few years now, he is not about to put himself in there with anyone that can do damage to him in the world of MMA. A world he has no experience in whatsoever.

[Rip-Hamilton32]

i think that he talked about retirement because there were no threats for him in boxing

[Evan]

Depends if he fights a guy with kickboxing ability as well as boxing. He will KO guys with one dimensional strikes and ty wrestling skills and then quit before he has to face someone with some MMA ability. His name will guarantee him big money, nomatter who he fights. You do know there is more to striking then just standing there and throwing punches. Put Floyd in a clinch and do damage with Mua Thai and dirty boxing and watch him tapout.

Agree with you here but no way does Cuban pay him what it would take to get him to do this and NOT have him face a top opponent. Someone at least in the top 20.

Anyone in the UFC, WEC or K-1....anyone...would shred him to pieces.

Hitting with a 4oz glove that literally only protects your knuckles is a whole new world. Floyd might break his hand very early.

But again...this will never happen.

[Evan]

what about floyds chin? safe to say its solid?

Doesn't matter when someone has your back and their elbow is underneath it choking you to sleep.

[cornbread]

It would be cool to see what he could do with some takedown defense and anti-jiu jitsu training.

[dallaskd]

This is not my wish

[atxrocker]

a ha ha ha ha. floyd better stick to what he knows or stay retired. i think dude would get hurt in the cage. totally different game.

[SAtoDallas]

i think that he talked about retirement because there were no threats for him in boxing

There are plenty of threats for him in boxing, he just tends to ingnore them and fight guys he knows he can beat. Yes he has outstanding skills but he is not willing to risk his perfect record.


He's not going to fight in MMA for one he's a pure boxer, he uses his speed and the ring to win not power, another thing is he has brittle hands and the smaller gloves used in MMA he'd probably break them. Him and Mark Cuban just love attention that's all they are doing is using his name to bring attention to HD Net fights.

[Evan]

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. dropped a bombs last week when he said he was considering becoming a mixed martial arts fighter.

One of the world's finest MMA fighters said Mayweather wouldn't be good for the sport and said he's deluding himself if he thinks he can become an elite fighter in a short period of time.

Joe "Daddy" Stevenson, who will fight B.J. Penn for the vacant lightweight le at UFC 80 on Jan. 19 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, said Mayweather "wouldn't be good for our sport."

"He represents himself in a different manner and it's not the way I think is correct for our athletes," Stevenson said. "You don't brag about how much money you make. That's totally disrespectful. I've seen him in clubs and I've seen the way he treats people and I can tell you, that's not the kind of a guy we want representing this sport."


And though Stevenson praised Mayweather's boxing skills and his athleticism, he said becoming a world-class MMA fighter takes years of training. He sounded skeptical of the nearly 31-year-old Mayweather's ability to make the transition.

Clearly, Stevenson said, Mayweather would be a dangerous striker, but he would struggle in the other aspects.

"It's moronic for him to think he can cross over and do this at 31," Stevenson said. "It's like me saying I could be the best in golf. It looks easy, but I'd sound re ed to say I could go out there after a couple of months and win. The pressure, the coordination, the ability to play the greens, there are so many things involved.

"Boxing and MMA are different sports. He's a great boxer. He's the best. I was rooting for Ricky Hatton and I have to give Floyd credit for doing what he did. But he'd be in an entirely different sport. And yeah, his strikes would be intimidating, but I'd take him down. He'd have to be able to defend a takedown and that sounds a lot easier than it is." Mayweather hasn't spoken publicly on his plans yet. Stevenson said he'd bring attention to MMA, which is good, but said the sport is growing on its own.

"I don't think we need that kind of attention," Stevenson said. "We have a great sport and a lot of people are beginning to realize that, more every day. We don't have to bring in the best boxers just to get people to pay attention to us, because they're realizing what a great sport we have already."

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slu...yhoo&type=lgns

[Soul_Patch]

Joe Daddy, telling it like it is...


I dont want to see this at all, plus, mayweather is a pussy...he hates getting hit...if anything id want to see it just to see his dumb ass get bloodied up.

[Evan]

best sig ever SP...lol!

[atxrocker]

werd, joe

[sa_butta]

unless he has a really good ground game that noone knows about, or has been working on it faithfully, I cant see him coming in as a stand-up knock out fighter for too long. Im sure he would be able to handle some mediocre talent, but would be manhandled against premiere talent.

[LEONARD]

1. We'll never see him in an MMA fight
2. Cuban is a genius

[Soul_Patch]

Thanks!

[Evan]

1. We'll never see him in an MMA fight
2. Cuban is a genius

I'm curious to even see how far he goes into training.

When his eye socket gets slammed into his knee he may rethink the whole thing pretty fast.