Mayweather considering MMA

Cacti45 · 12-21-2007, 11:36 PM

ESPN - Mayweather mulling move to MMA in deal with Cuban - Boxing

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.

"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 time table. 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."

- By Mark Stein and Dan Rafeal

bayouboy · 12-21-2007, 11:51 PM

A waste of time...Mayweather will never fight in MMA unless it has some kind of special rules.

The-Iceman-Chuck-Liddell · 12-22-2007, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bayouboy

A waste of time...Mayweather will never fight in MMA unless it has some kind of special rules.

Agreed. He has nothing left to prove. If he loses it kind of shatters his legacy.

Ztous · 12-22-2007, 12:40 AM

ESPN - Mayweather mulling move to MMA in deal with Cuban - Boxing

Sounds like Cuban is willing to throw alot of money Mayweathers way to see him compete in MMA. I think that this is a long shot at best.

PINOYPRIDE · 12-22-2007, 12:44 AM

He will also not be fighting in MMA because he won't be making that kind of money in MMA that he does in boxing.

In his last two fights he made $50 million dollars and I don't think he will be making that kind of money in MMA.

PINOYPRIDE · 12-22-2007, 12:46 AM

It will not happen....Mayweather will not make money in MMA like he does in boxing.

He made about $50 million in two fights in boxing and in MMA he will never make that kind of money.

ALso I personally don't think he will last in MMA.

Cacti45 · 12-22-2007, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PINOYPRIDE

He will also not be fighting in MMA because he won't be making that kind of money in MMA that he does in boxing.

In his last two fights he made $50 million dollars and I don't think he will be making that kind of money in MMA.

u have to keep in mind hed be fighting for mark cuban who regularly gets find 250k in the nba, and he doesnt give a crap. Its not tight wad dana and company, money isnt a factor for Cuban.

GSPALLTHEWAY · 12-22-2007, 02:09 AM

and PBF makes 40 mil in a fight.. NO WAY itll happen.. not even worth getting worked up about

vegas mma · 12-22-2007, 02:45 AM

didn't he talk **** about mma not too long ago

marnold · 12-22-2007, 09:08 AM

How bizarre, while reading this article, it was on the national news.

arelius · 12-22-2007, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The-Iceman-Chuck-Liddell

Agreed. He has nothing left to prove. If he loses it kind of shatters his legacy.

I agree with you on this comment.

But can you imagine the impact it will have on the perception of MMA? All the nay sayers who believe MMA is a fad will be strongly held in check if boxers start rolling over to UFC or EliteXC and what not.

BCguy · 12-22-2007, 02:08 PM

Something like this would totally put M-1 or HDnet fights on the map bigtime. Cuban has enough money to make it happen as well.

MTKrav911 · 12-22-2007, 08:57 PM

On ESPN news this afternoon I thought it interesting that when they mentioned Mark Cuban they said "Mark Cuban owns the fledgling new MMA organization HDNETFIGHTS"

I didnt know he was already in trouble financially with that organization. This move makes sense then.

GSPALLTHEWAY · 12-22-2007, 09:01 PM

can cuban promise mayweather 30 or 40 million for 1 fight??? no WAY! it just cant happen... would floyd risk his perfect record and career to get potentiallly creamed in MMA?? theres no reason for any of this to happen

Pitbull · 12-23-2007, 12:21 AM

Even though I don't think he'd ever fight MMA, I'd still like to see him do it..to watch him lose.

All that great boxing defense and pretty shoulder rolls isn't gonna keep him from getting taken down by a double-leg and mounted.

OneTwoPunch · 12-23-2007, 12:48 AM

You think they would give him a legit opponent or just a can to hype him up? I'd like to see him fight a ground guy and lose in the first round.

Jras0001 · 12-23-2007, 12:59 AM

About the only way I think PBF would compete in MMA is if he has special rules like Tommy Morrison had. That would basicly make it a boxing match with 4 oz gloves which is something they dont allow in boxing currently.

All it would take is him going against someone like Kenny Florian or Sean Sherk and his "unbeatable" mistique would get blown away. Anyone that would be able to get him to the ground would have a field day with him. Especially someone as strong as Sherk or as good in BJJ as Florian.

I just cant see this ever happening as a complete mma fight without special rules.

Kentified · 12-23-2007, 09:11 AM

Another article on the subject from yahoo.

Cuban says Floyd in MMA is no stunt - MMA - Yahoo! Sports

Quote:

MMA has grown dramatically over the last three years, but it still lags behind boxing. The largest paid gate in an MMA fight in North America was $5.39 million for UFC 66, which featured Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

There have been 31 larger paid gates in Nevada alone, including the last two Mayweather fights.

So as far as MMA has come, it still has a long way to go to gain mainstream acceptance. It may get to that point in the near future, but it's not there yet.

A transcendent star like Mayweather would give it a huge shove in the right direction. "In spite of its growth, MMA is still in its infancy," Cuban said. "The UFC has done a great job of getting it this far. Someone like Floyd could help catapult it to even greater heights by introducing not just boxing fans, but general sports fans to MMA."

If he even fights once, he'll attract a huge audience and perhaps even network television exposure for a sport that was once squeezed off of pay-per-view because of concerns about its brutality.

Mayweather would be taking an extraordinary risk should he attempt to fight, because if he were to get choked out quickly, everything he built in boxing would be gone. He made more than $20 million in each of his last two fights.

To put that amount of money in perspective, consider that just Mayweather's haul from the Hatton fight, which figures to wind up somewhere slightly in excess of $20 million, would be more than every fighter combined on the last three UFC pay-per-view shows.

And if Mayweather were to agree to fight unbeaten WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, the 2007 Yahoo! Sports Fighter of the Year, sometime in 2008, he'd be looking at another $25-million-plus haul.

For him to turn his back on that to enter a sport where he's years behind the curve would require extraordinary courage.

Were Mayweather to have trained in the martial arts for several years, there's no doubt he'd be an elite MMA fighter. He's physically strong, incredibly quick, is a powerful striker and is one of the most well-conditioned athletes alive.

Other boxers have turned to MMA and done well. Marcus Davis, a UFC welterweight, is one of the sport's most successful fighters now. He began as a boxer and was essentially a journeyman, but has become a player in MMA.

It can be done. And have little doubt that with four-ounce gloves on, Mayweather would instantly become the best striker in the game, so long as his fragile hands could handle the shock that would come from landing blows with much less padding on them.

But the question is whether Mayweather will put the time into learning the sport that would be required.

Cuban, for one, believes he would. He wouldn't put a timeframe on how long it would take, but he has little doubt that a motivated Mayweather could learn MMA well enough to be successful.

"Hard to say (how long it would take him)," Cuban said. "He obviously would have to develop additional skills, but there are plenty of accomplished fighters who live off of being great at one particular discipline. Floyd understands he would have a lot to learn, but there is no one that would work harder."

Most likely what is going on is that Mayweather is trying to find his own niche as a promoter. In Cuban, he's befriended a master who has the deep pockets to help him get started.

If Mayweather trained in MMA for a year, he could fight a lower-level opponent to start and be successful. That would be a huge event and could be a vehicle for Mayweather Promotions, his company, to promote MMA cards.

Cuban, who flatly said he could never envision himself promoting a boxing match involving Mayweather, clearly is smitten with the idea.

And it makes sense on a number of levels.

If he wants to prove he can do it and win an MMA fight, he's clearly gifted enough to do so. If he wants to delve into MMA promoting, it's a great launching pad for that bid. But if he plans to try to become the best MMA fighter in the world, that's an entirely different story. At nearly 31 and with a body that he says is beginning to break down from a lifetime of boxing, time is his enemy.

MMA not mainstream?

Sandstorm · 12-23-2007, 11:23 AM

compared to boxing its not.

basslogic4003 · 12-23-2007, 12:11 PM

I think it would be a slap in the face of every mixed martial artist that he would make so much money on his first MMA bout. I'd love to see it.... and watch him go to sleep by RNC