Floyd Mayweather says he will begin training "soon" for a transition into mixed martial arts.
The retired boxer confirmed to TMZ Sports he has been in contact with UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, and claims the two will work together in the near future. Woodley also mentioned the possibility earlier this month.
"I'm gonna start soon," Mayweather said. "We've been texting back and forth. We talked a couple times, so we gonna start working out real soon."
Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) announced his retirement from boxing following a lucrative bout against UFC star Conor McGregor in August. Since then, the 41-year-old has teased the idea of crossing over into the UFC on multiple occasions.
He would be considered a novice in the sport of MMA, but claims his skills are better than some may think.
"I can wrestle. My wrestling game is not that bad," Mayweather said. "On a scale from 1 to 10, it's probably a 7. And I think we can take it up to a 9 if possible. Of course, my hand game, on a scale of 1 to 10, is 100. My kicking game, on a scale from 1 to 10, is probably a 4."
In December, UFC president Dana White told ESPN the promotion was in talks with Mayweather about bringing him over, and took an adamant stance that the negotiations were legitimate.
"We're talking to Floyd about doing a UFC deal," White told ESPN. "It's real. He was talking about [boxing] Conor McGregor. Was that real? Have you heard Floyd talk about many things that aren't real? He usually tips his hand when he's in the media, and then that s--- ends up happening."
Mayweather mentioned a six- to eight-month preparation for an MMA bout. It is unclear whom he might face, should he go through with it. A bout against McGregor (21-3), a two-weight champion in the UFC, would seem highly unlikely for his debut.
Mayweather has previously claimed he could make $1 billion from a UFC deal.
"I haven't even started training yet," Mayweather told TMZ. "I'm in [Los Angeles], moving around a little bit. ... It's all about presenting the right numbers. Of course, they gonna present the right numbers and we're going to make it happen."
