UFC’s Dana White says Floyd Mayweather agreed to a fight in 2020 – ‘we have a deal’
- UFC president says he shook hands on agreement with 50-0 undefeated boxer sitting courtside at an NBA game
- White anticipates a sit-down with Mayweather’s manager Al Haymon and an event in October or November
UFC boss Dana White has said he has a verbal agreement with undefeated retired boxer Floyd Mayweather to return to combat sports next year.
While the deal is not in writing, White said he would be in communication with boxing super-promoter and Mayweather's manager Al Haymon.
“It's true, we sat at the [Los Angeles] Clippers game. We started talking and we literally got a deal done right there on the court,” White said on The Jim Rome Show.
“We shook hands, we have a deal, and if things play out the way that Floyd and I think they will, then I will probably sit down with Al Haymon in March and get a deal on paper.”
Mayweather (professional boxing record 50-0) retired from the sport after defeating former UFC double champion Conor McGregor by 10th-round TKO in 2017. “Money” has remained largely inactive aside from a successful exhibition bout with Japanese kick-boxing star Tenshin Nasukawa on New Year’s Eve.
“Let's see how the next few months play out – we could be doing something fun, probably,” White added. “If everything goes our way, Floyd and I will be doing something in October and November [next year].”
Mayweather has retired from “the brutal sport” of boxing – as he described to Reuters this year – in the past but has made a habit of returning for select super-fights.
In 2018, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (professional MMA record 28-0) called Mayweather out after beating Conor McGregor via fourth-round submission. Mayweather responded to TMZ, saying “we're fighting” and that he would earn a “nine-figure payday”.
While it is still unclear whether Mayweather's comeback fight is in boxing or mixed martial arts (MMA), White has openly talked about UFC-tied Zuffa Boxing's launch as well as boxing-MMA crossovers.
