Floyd Mayweather apparently got one look at Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titlist Sean Sherk and decided he wanted nothing to do with mixed martial arts.
The newly crowned WBC 154-lb. champion talked a lot of smack about MMA leading up to his fight with Oscar De La Hoya.
But UFC president Dana White, Zuffa LLC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta, and Sherk, the UFC's 155-lb. champ, showed up at the MGM Grand looking to give Mayweather the chance to put his money where his mouth was.
And the Pretty Boy changed his tune. According to the Web site FightNews.com, Mayweather, using former Nevada State Athletic Commission chairman and current UFC employee Marc Ratner as an intermediary, signaled he wanted to make peace with the UFC.
"I apologize to the UFC, sometimes we say things that we shouldn't have said and I'm man enough to admit that," said Mayweather. "I apologize to the Fertittas, Lorenzo and Dana White. I respect MMA fighters and what they do in the UFC. I have no plans of fighting in mixed martial arts."
While Mayweather left the MGM Grand a winner last week, it appears the sport of mixed martial arts was the biggest beneficiary of last week's hype.
The bulk of the coverage leading up to the Mayweather-DeLaHoya fight prominently mentioned MMA's encroachment on the boxing market.
True, some of the coverage was lowlighted by tired clichés from the usual suspects, but the joke is on them. It became painfully clear last week the only people left who still cling to "these are just bar brawlers" nonsense are: 1. Old-school boxing types, who are understandably protective of their favorite sport; 2. Journalists who are completely out to lunch on the topic; 3. Attention seekers in various media platforms who are simply out to get a reaction.
There has been a shift in sports fan opinion on combat sports. The average fan now understands that top-notch MMA fighters have athletic credentials that match those of the top athletes in any sport, even if some in the media still don't get it.
Saturday night's fight card was a case study in why MMA is succeeding where boxing isn't.
The main event was a good, but not great, technical fight. But the real telling aspect was in the second fight from top. A pair of featherweights that your average sports fan couldn't name to save their lives, Rocky Juarez and Jose Hernandez, slow danced for 12 rounds before Juarez took the decision.
Half the crowd at the MGM Grand hadn't arrived yet. The half that was there never at any point indicated they had the slightest interest in the match. HBO signaled its disinterest in its own second-billed attraction by running a long, rambling interview with Larry Merchant and Floyd Mayweather Sr. during the fight.
Viewers paid $54.95 for that?
Contrast the Juarez-Hernandez scene to UFC 68 in Columbus on March 3, where all 19,000 fans at Nationwide Arena were in their seats in time for the opening, non-televised preliminary fight, and stayed with the action for four hours, through all nine matches. Or UFC 65 at Arco Arena in Sacramento last November, where the sellout crowd of more than 15,000 popped for the transitional ground work as much as the KO kicks.
The question that remains unanswered: What would happen if Mayweather did tangle with Sherk?
No one is questioning what would happen if they met in a boxing ring under boxing rules. Sherk's background is amateur wrestling. Even the most complete MMA fighter isn't spending any more than 25 percent of his time on his boxing game. Mayweather would own Sherk under boxing rules.
Under MMA rules? Well, for one thing, Mayweather's track-meet style wouldn’t win him points in the UFC. Among MMA scoring criteria, judges are supposed to base their decisions on aggression and octagon control. For another, there is the sheer difference between a ring and a cage. There are no rope breaks to be had in MMA. If you get cornered and taken down, you have to fight your way out. That's not Mayweather's style.
There have already been a couple glimpses at what would be considered boxer vs. martial arts style fighting, and neither made boxing look good.
One occurred all the way back at UFC 1 in 1993. Art Jimmerson was a light heavyweight with a solid record of 29-5 when he squared off against Royce Gracie. Gracie needed all of 2:11 to pick Jimmerson apart. From that point on, Jimmerson went 4-13 in his boxing career. Word got around boxing quick to stay away from UFC.
OK, maybe Jimmerson isn't a big enough name to impress you. How about Muhammud Ali, then?
Back in 1976, Ali took on wrestler Antonio Inoki in Tokyo. They went 15 rounds before the fight was ruled a draw. Inoki spent most of the fight on his back in a basic jiu-jitsu defensive posture and repeatedly kicked at Ali's legs. Ali's punching was useless, as he threw just six punches the entire fight.
It was a dreadfully boring exhibition by all accounts. But no less an authority than Thomas Hauser reported in his definitive biography Ali that Inoki did so much damage to Ali's legs, that Ali had to be hospitalized with blood clots and extensive muscle disrepair. Promoter Bob Arum went on to speculate the beating helped speed up Ali's in-ring decline.
So there you have it. Three decades before MMA stole boxing's thunder and 17 years before Gracie burst onto the scene, the greatest boxer of all-time could do nothing against a professional wrestler who used defensive martial arts tactics that were primitive by the standards of today's MMA.
Maybe Mayweather knew what he was doing, backing off from his trash talk against UFC.
This is a topic has been gently danced around for years.
For the most part, MMA types have expressed nothing but respect for boxing, as it is one of the base components of their sport and boasts a rich history.
Boxing types have largely responded with disdain. Promoters have referred to MMA as "trash," boxers have disrespected MMA fighters' skills, and hack boxing writers too lazy to learn anything new have attempted to brush off the subject, since it wasn't what they grew up with in 1923.
But things reached have reached a boiling point over the past week. Floyd Mayweather Jr. was quoted as saying "UFC ain’t s--,. It ain’t but a fad. Anyone can put a tattoo on their head and get in a street fight. We should put Liddell against a good heavyweight, under Mayweather Promotions, and if Chuck wins, then I’ll give him a million dollars out of my own pocket. These are guys who couldn’t make it in boxing."
UFC president Dana White shot back: "He says he wants to pay Chuck Liddell a million dollars to fight with a heavyweight boxer and see if he'll last. How about this? How about we pay Floyd a million dollars to fight MMA and see how long he lasts. Or even better ... I'll give him a million dollars of my own money if he boxes anyone other than Oscar (De La Hoya) and more than 10 people buy tickets."
Many fans have already checked in with their take on this throwdown. Here's a sampling of comments from the FOXSports.com MMA blog, some of which have been edited for grammar:
The great thing about MMA is that the underdog always has a chance anything can happen and its much more exciting, little #### with some of the guys that where the tigthy whiteys but hey whatever works for them, I'd never say that to Mirko Cro Cop's face.
Boxing is a far superior sport to mma. ufc is like watching two drunks in a bar fight. could any MMA heavy weight stand a chance against Klitschko? Any MMA middleweight go a round with Jermaine Taylor? Mayweather would make a mma champ look like a fool. I have competed in both the arts of wrestling and boxing, and the skilled glove is mightier than the takedown.
Of course Floyd Mayweather is gonna "call out" the UFC. Boxing has become a laughingstock in American sports entertainment. He has no choice but to create animosity or controversy to get noticed. MMA and in particular, the UFC is not only surviving, but thriving. It represents what people want to pay their hard earned money to watch. That is; exciting, fast-paced, and multi-dimension.
I enjoy watching both sports. UFC has its warriors just like boxing. But, Mayweather does not fall into the warrior category (in my opinion). He's a runner. The day i see Mayweather stand in the middle of the ring and battle it out with a "WORTHY" opponent, like the true boxing warriors of the past, maybe then i might listen to his loud mouth. But for now he's just blowing hot air. Mayweather! u don't impress me like a Chuck Liddell does. He stands TOE TO TOE, you don't, you dance around the ring.
No offense but boxing is a washed up sport. It is a thing of the past. There is only a few fighters out there worth watching right now. MMA hands down takes the cake. If you want to hear about popularity tell me when have you ever seen a packed house for pre-cards at a boxing event...never.
Honestly I think that some MMA fighters would fare much better in boxing then any boxer would in MMA. Again not all MMA fighters but some. Those guys definitely have much more heart then most boxers. Most boxers like Floyd just got big #### mouths. Props to Floyd for what he does in the ring can't take anything away from him but don't speak of something you know nothing bout.
By the way why you guys hating on Dana White for the guy used to be a boxing trainer. He saw the UFC and had ideas and ways to make it better and he did. Props to him for what he did. Dude has got to stick up for what he created.
So what do you think? Many fans have correctly pointed out that boxing and MMA are two different sports and it is like comparing apples and oranges. But if you could only watch one, which would you watch?
A few quick notes from a UFC 69 telephone press conference:
*UFC president Dana White had strong words for Floyd Mayweather's recent disrespectful comments about mixed martial arts: "He says he wants to pay Chuck Liddell a million dollars to fight with a heavyweight boxer and see if he'll last. How about this? How about we pay Floyd a million dollars to fight MMA and see how long he lasts. Or even better ... I'll give him a million dollars of my own money if he boxes anyone other than Oscar (De La Hoya) and more than 10 people buy tickets."
Mayweather was quoted in an article on the boxing Web site Thesweetscience.com as saying: “UFC ain’t s--,. It ain’t but a fad. Anyone can put a tattoo on their head and get in a street fight. We should put Liddell against a good heavyweight, under Mayweather Promotions, and if Chuck wins, then I’ll give him a million dollars out of my own pocket. These are guys who couldn’t make it in boxing."
*White also slapped down a boxing-based writer who criticized MMA fighters for their boxing technique, claiming their footwork was "wrong." White patiently explained that unlike a boxer, an MMA competitor also needs to be watching for other forms of strikes, or a potential takedown, and thus need to set up their punches differently than boxers.
*White said it could take as long as a year before we see matchups with PRIDE vs. UFC fighters.
*He said they're looking at August or September for a potential Randy Couture vs. Mirko Cro Cop match.
This is FOXSports.com 's official mixed martial arts blog, maintained by FOXSports.com editor Dave Doyle, the first reporter to cover MMA on a regular basis for a mainstream national sports media site.
