When news broke late last week about Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s possible move from boxing to mixed martial arts, I thought he was just blowing smoke.

I figured he was just spreading some good old-fashioned jive around these parts and that the words he spoke were mere palaver. I felt that "Pretty Boy" Floyd was not serious at all about trying to defend not only punches but also kicks, knees, takedowns and submissions.

And quite frankly, I still feel the same way.

If Mayweather -- the greatest boxer that I have ever seen (studying film of Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Benny Leonard, Henry Armstrong, etc. doesn't count because I never saw those fights live) -- ever steps foot into a cage or MMA ring, expect the devil to scrape ice off his car, pigs to sprout wings and Tim Allen not to make a Christmas movie.

Mayweather has nothing to gain by competing in MMA unless it's as some sort of promoter. There is absolutely no way he'll be able to pocket the sort of money in MMA that he's finally capable of earning in boxing. He's taken home well over $20 million apiece for his fights with Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. Unless Mark Cuban and his fledgling HDNet Fights shell out an absurdly similar purse, Mayweather will never fight in the sport.

Remember: Mayweather is not only this generation's finest pugilist, he's also one of boxing's shrewdest businessmen.

Like him or not, Mayweather has that sort of money-driven acumen that forces people to watch him fight. It took him years of stubbornness to finally figure that out, but the numbers he's generated this year alone (along with the help of HBO and his two most recent opponents) is enough proof.

Also, Mayweather has been lacerated in the MMA media as well as within the various chat rooms since he trashed the UFC and its fighters. He's since retracted his statements and issued relatively feeble apologies, but he's also professed that he'll never fight in the sport.

He's also claimed to be retiring from boxing on more than one occasion. Unless he's discussing how he's going to whip an opponent, one would be wise to take his proclamations with a grain of salt.

But don't take what I'm saying about Mayweather as an outright assault; it's the furthest thing from. And I'm not claiming that the reigning undisputed welterweight champion is some sort of duplicitous monster either. In fact, I've spoken with and interviewed him on many occasions and have been invited to a few of his workouts.

Mayweather is a genuine individual. For the most part, his bad guy image is just a front to fill seats and sell pay-per-views, not unlike boxing's other ultimate bad boys: Ali and Mike Tyson.

Yours truly knows every facet of Mayweather's boxing career. I've perused his style and competitions dating back to when he was an amateur. He is as competitive as they come and he's a man who has an insatiable appetite to be the best at what he does. But to think for a second that he's actually going to partake in a mixed martial arts bout would be foolish.

In fact, I don't know of anybody in the sport (with any sort of legitimate training or experience) that would lose to Floyd.

Granted, there isn't an MMA fighter alive who would be able to do anything against him in a boxing match, but conversely the same can be said about him against anybody in MMA. The only way I see Mayweather winning a fight under the rules of mixed martial arts is twofold: He fights somebody dumb enough to try and out-strike him or the fight is rigged. All somebody has to do is shoot in, get a takedown and submit him or pound on him.

Anybody who closely follows both sports will know immediately that the striking and footwork in boxing is a world of difference compared to MMA. The angles are different, the movement is skewed and the defense is much more difficult.

There's a reason why it took Chuck Liddell (Pictures) a few years to become such a dominant striker in MMA after a lengthy kickboxing career -- the striking is different. And if it took Liddell that long, when kickboxing is much more closely related to MMA than boxing, just imagine how long it would take Mayweather to be even a remotely decent novice.

That's why I'll never believe for a second that Floyd is serious about transitioning from the Sweet Science into the cage as a fighter. If I know Floyd like I think I do, he's just dropping his name in the proverbial marketing hat, and he'll eventually join forces with somebody (see: Cuban) and try to promote the sport and nothing else.

The only way Floyd will ever climb into the ring to fight again will be for close to $20 million, and it'll be against Miguel Cotto. He'll take a few rounds to figure him out and by the time the 10th round rolls around, Cotto's face will be a mess and the Puerto Rican superstar will be helplessly behind on all scorecards. Mayweather will win the unanimous decision and walk away from the sport and into the hallowed halls of Canastota.

To think otherwise, especially about him competing alongside guys like Urijah Faber (Pictures) or "Kid" Yamamoto, would be foolhardy.

Misc. Debris (Christmas Wish List Version)

I wish that this Saturday's Liddell-Silva bout would live up to expectations. It's a fight that took way too long to materialize, but I'm afraid it'll end too quickly. One of the two will be blasted out of there in the first round. You'll just have to wait for the Great Sherdog Debate to see who I think will win and why. …

Watching the HDNet Fights telecasts is sweet. I finally got to see a Sportfight card live, and though it didn't contain the world's greatest fighters, it was serviceable enough to thoroughly enjoy. I wish that HDNet would keep its MMA section going for a long time. The cross-pollination of various fight organizations is something this sport desperately needs. …

I wish Matt Lindland (Pictures) would eventually get his due and be allowed to either come back to the UFC or at least fight some of the world's best. I still think the only three people capable of toppling UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva are Lindland, Dan Henderson (Pictures) and Paulo Filho (Pictures). At least we'll get to see one of those matchups. …

I wish that K-1 would eventually have a major presence in America, allowing me to watch most, if not all, future World Grand Prix events without getting them on horrendous tape delays. …

I wish that Zuffa would either eliminate "The Ultimate Fighter" altogether or at least make drastic changes to the already successful formula. I actually refused to watch season six until I realized that I was going to be covering the season finale and had better know what happened on the show. To say the least, I begrudgingly watched every episode via DVR and despised the monotonous tedium that ensued with each successive episode. …

And finally, I wish every reader of this column a very merry Christmas. And if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope your days are festive and joyous.

Hit me up at www.myspace.com/sherdogsloan