Mighty proposes no grappling Octagon fight with Mayweather
Demetrious Johnson: “Floyd, come over here and beat up the smallest guy in the UFC. Come try your hand, try to beat up the smallest guy.”
The greatest boxer of his generation, Floyd Mayweather Jr, is in serious negotiations with the UFC for a fight in the Octagon. The obvious fight is a rematch with Conor McGregor on home territory. Demetrious Johnson, the #1 fighter in MMA, made an intriguing alternate suggestion yesterday – best in MMA vs. best on boxing.
And then he sweetened the deal – no grappling
I think it would go very well for me, obviously, said Johnson to TMZ Sports, as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. I’m very well-rounded. It’s mixed martial arts. I would even do a handicap. I won’t even grapple with him. I won’t even go to the ground at all. I’ll get him in the clinch, bang up, hit him in the liver, kick him in the liver, take out his legs and work him.
100 percent [I would win]. Yeah, of course. You have the clinch, there’s kicks, there’s elbows, it’s mixed martial arts. I come from one of the great coaches – Matt Hume, Brad Kertson – and my skill set is well-rounded. I’d probably get after that liver. Have to get after that liver. Beat him up in the Muay Thai clinch because he likes to clinch a lot. You see it in his boxing, when he clinches, once we initiate that clinch, I’m gonna throw a knee right to his liver.
Floyd, come over here and beat up the smallest guy in the UFC. Come try your hand, try to beat up the smallest guy.
The fight is rational from a number of perspectives.
Mayweather needs countless millions to maintain his opulent lifestyle and his curse breaking 50-0 is unthreatened by a loss in MMA, so it’s a rational step from his point of view. Johnson wins most of his fights via grappling, so removing that is a big equalizer against a historical-class boxer. And an AC might be more likely to sanction a bout where striking has an edge and Mayweather has a notable size edge.