So maybe it wasn’t just an attempt to garner attention on social media.
UFC boss Dana White appeared on The Jim Rome Show on Thursday and discussed his meeting with Floyd Mayweather in November at a Los Angeles Clippers game at Staples Center. White said that a deal to work with Mayweather was consummated on the spot and that he will most likely sit down with Mayweather’s manager, Al Haymon, next spring to finalize details.
“We started talking and we literally got a deal done right there on the court,” White said. “And if things play out the way things Floyd and I think they will, I will probably sit down with Al Haymon in March and get a deal on paper.”
White said the target date for a Mayweather fight is next fall.
“If everything goes our way, Floyd and I would be doing something in October or November.”
It’s not clear what type of fight Mayweather is envisioning, but the fact that he is working with White might mean the event will be some kind of crossover between boxing and mixed-martial arts.
After the Clippers game, Mayweather posted on his social media that he would be “working together” with White “to bring the world another spectacular event in 2020.” A few days later, Mayweather published another post depicting himself in fight gear, doubling down on a supposed ring return next year.
Mayweather, who will be 43 on Feb. 24, retired in 2017 after he stopped the UFC’s Conor McGregor in a lucrative crossover bout. Since then, he participated in an exhibition match against in Tokyo against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, knocking him out in the first round.