Reuters
Floyd Mayweather.
- Floyd Mayweather confirmed he has been texting UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and that they will start training together "real soon."
- Mayweather admitted it will be "difficult" work but claims his "wrestling game is not that bad."
- The retired boxer expects to be ready for UFC in the next "six to eight months" but wants to be paid big bucks before he steps into an octagon.
Retired boxer Floyd Mayweather has given the clearest indication yet that he will transition into mixed martial arts and take the UFC world by storm.
In a revealing video interview with TMZ Sports, Mayweather confirmed he had been texting UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley regarding a training program. He then graded his own wrestling, kickboxing, and boxing skills from one to 10 before claiming he would be UFC-ready by the end of the year.
On his relationship with his UFC mentor Woodley, Mayweather said: "We [have] been texting back and forth, we talked a couple times, so we gonna start working out real soon."
Mayweather, an unbeaten five-weight world champion boxer, mastered the art of boxing years ago. His 10th round knockout win over Conor McGregor in 2017 preserved a flawless professional boxing record of 50 victories from 50 bouts.
But the 41-year-old will effectively be starting anew should he compete in UFC, and he knows fully well how "difficult" the transition will be.
"Like everything you have to make adjustments so it's going to be a little difficult," he said. "Even if it takes six to eight months, whatever it takes. We want to make sure everything is done correctly and done the right way."
Christian Petersen/Getty
Mayweather beat McGregor up in a boxing bout last year.
Mayweather then graded his mixed martial arts skills, starting with wrestling, from one to 10.
"My wrestling game is not that bad," he said. "On a scale of one to 10, it's probably a seven and we can probably take it to a nine."
On boxing, he said: "Of course, my hand game, on a scale of one to 10, it's 100. And my kicking game is probably a four. We have to tweak a few things then take things to that next level."
Mayweather had previously spoken of "a billion dollar" discussion to return to the fight game but refused to elaborate on whether he would have a warm-up bout in UFC or challenge McGregor for one more rodeo.
For Mayweather, "It's all about presenting the right numbers." And that means he wants to get paid for his blood, sweat, and tears.
Watch the interview in full here: