Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather (50-0) transitioning from the boxing ring to the MMA cage has been one of the bigger questions and stories in 2018.
Mayweather who retired after beating UFC champion Conor McGregor last August and now hopes to be ready for his UFC debut late this year.
Floyd Mayweather recently said he aims to apply for an MMA license in the near future. He said he would need around six to eight months to prepare for a fight and has already tapped UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley as his coach.
Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley said in a recent interview that Mayweather will start his MMA training as soon as in around seven days time:
“I talked to Floyd yesterday actually,” Woodley told TMZ Sports (quotes via MMA Fighting). “He’s in Miami right now and we’re coordinating dates on training. . .
“We’re beginning the process of setting up the timing. I think more of it is gonna be game-planning strategy over the phone and talking about the game-plan of training, because if you think about the wrestling, if you think about the jiu-jitsu, if you think about the kicking aspect of the game, he does not have to go out there and learn how to kick like Bruce Lee.
He does not have to go out there and become a black belt overnight, he just has to be able to stop it and get in boxing range and I think anybody in the UFC, he’s gonna be able to handle his own with.
“I think we’re gonna start most of it next week, so I think we’re gonna start some of the strategy talks next week and we might get some sessions in as well.”
It remains to be seen whether Mayweather will make his walk to the Octagon, as UFC has yet to officially announced that they have signed Mayweather or at least they are negotiating with him.
Woodley said game plan is pretty clear on teaching Mayweather once the training starts. Mayweather is a world-class striker, and every bout starts on the feet, so keep it there.
“I think, obviously, his striking is bar-none some of the best we’ve ever seen in the sport,” said Woodley. “Anybody who has the ability to evade a punch in a fraction of a second, I think, with proper repetition and proper drilling can avoid a takedown wrestling attempt. So that’s obviously gonna be the primary goal, to equip him with the tools to not get taken down and if he happens to get taken down, how to keep his cool and how to get his butt back up to his feet and get back where he needs to be.”
How many of you think Floyd Mayweather will make his MMA debut this year? Who do you think he should lock horns with?
