- Retired boxer Floyd Mayweather will train with a UFC champion to prepare for life in the octagon.
- Middleweight ruler Tyron Woodley does not believe it will take long to teach Mayweather how to defend himself against kickboxers and wrestlers.
- Woodley even said Mayweather would “have a chance” against Conor McGregor in an MMA rules rematch of their boxing rules showdown last year.
Retired boxer Floyd Mayweather will train alongside a UFC champion so he can prepare for life in the octagon.
Mayweather has 50 victories from 50 fights and has made approximately $1 billion through boxing, but now he wants to transition into mixed martial arts and take the UFC world by storm.
Mayweather will even train alongside UFC middleweight champion Tyron Woodley, a 35-year-old wrestler who believes he “has a chance” to beat Conor McGregor in a mixed martial arts rematch of their boxing rules bout last year.
“Floyd Mayweather is interested in taking a mixed martial arts bout, maybe a few of them, so who better than [me] to teach him the ropes,” Woodley said on TMZ Sports.
Mayweather is yet to apply for a mixed martial arts license but Forbes says Woodley’s comments show the ex-boxer is serious about stepping into a cage.
Woodley added: “Floyd Mayweather is one of the best strikers of all time. How many guys in the UFC can’t wrestle, can’t grapple, but consider themselves a stand-up fighter. If they have to stand across from one of the greatest strikers ever, they gonna be in a world of smoke.”
What Woodley will teach Mayweather
To ensure Mayweather is octagon-ready, Woodley will teach Mayweather how to “defend kicks” and how to defend himself against wrestlers.
Given his pedigree in boxing, Woodley does not believe it will take long for Mayweather to perfect that side of the craft.
“If he can evade punches in a fraction of a second and make people look stupid by making people miss a million times, then he can learn wrestling defence,” Woodley said.
Who Mayweather will fight
Mayweather’s last appearance in a boxing ring was a dominant 10th round victory over Conor McGregor in August 2017, and Woodley believes McGregor will want revenge in a cage.
McGregor has already been tipped to “kick Mayweather into hell”— but Woodley says “Floyd has a chance” to cause an upset.
“Conor has never really knocked anyone out with a kick… he throws kicks, and they look flashy, but he does it to create space,” he said.
“Conor is not that great of a wrestler and not a world class jiu-jitsu guy. If he can’t land a kick on Floyd, and can’t take him down, I think Floyd has a chance for sure.”
Mayweather confirmed “billion dollar” talks to return to fighting earlier this year and has even posted videos and photographs of himself in a training cage.
However, he is yet to commit to a deal and, for now, is still retired.
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