Floyd Mayweather Denies Rumors of Potential UFC Deal: ‘I’m Not Doing It’

Floyd Mayweather says he’s been misunderstood by those who think a foray into the UFC is imminent for the pound-for-pound boxing great.

“They talk about, ‘Floyd said he’s fighting in the UFC for $1 billion.’ That’s not what I said,” Mayweather told FightHype.com. “Exactly what I said is this: If I made over $1 billion before, I could do it again. If I chose to get in the UFC and fight three fights or fight four fights and then fight Conor McGregor, I could make $1 billion. Which I can. I could do it in three fights or even four fights. If I choose to get in the Octagon and fight.

“We just don’t know what the future holds for Floyd Mayweather. And I don’t look forward to getting back in the boxing ring. That’s what I don’t look forward to doing.”

Mayweather, of course, is referencing a previous interview in which he said the UFC asked him to come back.

“If I want to, I can come right back to the UFC. I can go fight in the Octagon — I can go do a three or four-fight deal in the Octagon and make $1 billion,” he said last week.

On Wednesday, Dana White told ESPN.com that the promotion was indeed talking to Mayweather about competing in the Octagon. But the boxer would like to clarify things: he was merely dealing in hypotheticals.

“I’m not doing it,” Mayweather said. “I’m saying what I could do to make $1 billion quick if I wanted to do that. That’s all I was saying. I never said I was going to fight in the UFC. I didn’t say that. I said if I wanted to. Would and could do are different things. I’m not going to do it though.”

Why does Mayweather’s name keep popping up? According to the man himself, he’s a perpetually newsworthy topic.

“The rumors are always out there. I keep them talking. I’m something to write about. I’m something to talk about.”