So when I first read the ESPN report that Mark Cuban had sweet talked his "Dancing With the Stars" buddy Floyd Mayweather into considering trying his hand at MMA on Cuban's HDNet Fights, I was sceptical.
"It's definitely something he is interested in, and when Floyd makes his move, obviously it's going to be a mega event," Ellerbe said. "We don't have a timetable. Floyd is taking some time off, but Floyd understands what is involved. You have to take time to go out and understand what you're getting involved in, and he's ready to do that. But it's something he's definitely interested in doing.
But then when I read Fightlinker's take on it, I reconsidered.
So why the hell is he talking about this? Press. Mark Cuban gets press for HDNet fights, and Mayweather comes across to the average yokel as being willing to prove himself in MMA if only the money were `good enough'. Oh if only. People who are picking up on this story like there's any kind of possibility or truth to it are morons, and they've swallowed the fake promotion hook, line, and sinker.
That last line was the key. You see -- Ryan at Fightlinker, for all his wit and astuteness as a fight analyst isn't in on the Kayfabe.
Sure Mayweather would likely be a disaster as an MMA fighter. But it's not like he's considering taking some fights in the Extreme Fighting Championship and if those go well working his way up to the WEC and from there, if all goes well, scrabbling his way up the UFC ladder from prelims to the main event like Jon Fitch did.
Mayweather's talking about doing one highly touted match for boucoups moneys and mad publicity. In all likliehood he'd fight a can or a completely one-dimensional grappler. Cuban and Mayweather split the fat dollars and Floyd goes back to boxing even richer and with even more fame than he had before. With De La Hoya gone, Mayweather needs to become the face of boxing. So far he's just been the heel, but the very disappointing numbers of his match against Hatton show that he's not even 40% of the PPV draw on his own that De La Hoya was.
Raising the hype stakes and doing several rounds of mainstream media in the buildup to a Mark Cuban promoted MMA match is just what Mayweather needs to become a real draw on his own, not just a foil. He's got to have watched the career of George Foreman and seen how Foreman went from feared rival of Joe Frazier and Ali to America's favorite fatman and extended his career 15 years extra.
Mayweather's 30, he's cleared the field in boxing. There is no one on the horizon with the star power to make another De La Hoya/Mayweather payday. Doing an overhyped jaunt into MMA would be a win for Mayweather's boxing career, Mark Cuban's HDNet Fights and a mixed blessing for MMA.
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