UFC president Dana White is determined to accelerate negotiations for a potential boxing match between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather, and has set a deadline to conclude discussions with one of the two camps.
White says he hopes to wrap up talks with McGregor about the fight on Sunday so that he may then begin speaking to Mayweather’s team.
“I plan on having this thing locked up by this Sunday and then moving on to Team Mayweather and starting a negotiation with them,” White announced Thursday on Jim Rome’s radio show. “If we really do get it done in that time frame, then this thing could possibly happen.
“But again, I still need to go negotiate with [Mayweather’s team]. There’s no guarantee that we’re going to come to a deal.”
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The 47-year-old UFC president, who has been in charge of the organization since 2001, added he plans to start discussions with Mayweather’s crew on Monday. White added he feels “pretty good” about reaching an agreement with the undefeated boxing champion.
White stated in April that he was in favor of the McGregor-Mayweather bout, which the Irish UFC fighter first expressed interest in, even going as far as to obtain his boxing license in the state of California in order to prepare to battle the 40-year-old Mayweather, who retired in 2015. The UFC president also expressed his support for the bout in an interview on “Conan” last month.
According to White, McGregor could win approximately $75 for defeating the legendary boxer. This would reduce the Irishman’s earnings from the UFC, where he is a lightweight champion.
McGregor previously suggested to fight Mayweather for up to $100 million.
The UFC president admitted, however, that he is not entirely confident Mayweather will go through with the deal for a fight.
“The Conor side — we’re good on the Conor side,” White said last month. “I need to figure out the Mayweather side, and maybe it can’t be. Maybe the Mayweather side can’t be done. We’ll see. I promised Conor I’d do everything I could to make this fight happen, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
White also said he wants to quicken the pace of these negotiations so that he may continue dealing with other matters in the UFC.
“Yeah I just can’t keep messing with this thing,” he said. “I need to run my business and I have to focus on all the other things that are going on around here.”
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 27: UFC president Dana White appears during a media availability for UFC 200 at Madison Square Garden on April 27, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
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