Floyd Mayweather To Apply For MMA License, Will Take Time To Train

Former five-weight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather has revealed he will eventually be applying for a mixed martial arts (MMA) license.

Mayweather came out of retirement last year to take on UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor in a lucrative boxing contest that saw both fighters earn nine-figure paydays.

With "Money" coming out on top with a 10th round TKO win, it was expected that he will go back into retirement once and for all. Of late, however, Mayweather has been hinting at venturing into MMA, ideally to take on McGregor in a lucrative rematch in the Irishman's world this time.

With multiple videos and pictures on social media in recent months hinting at the idea, the latest indication from the 41-year-old comes after he claimed he would apply for an MMA license, ideally in the state of Nevada, before "hopefully" fighting.

"Not yet, not yet," Mayweather told TMZ when asked if he had applied for a license. "Everything takes time. Eventually, we're gonna apply for the license, and hopefully we can fight."

It recently emerged that UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley was going to help Mayweather train for MMA, particularly with the wrestling aspect, which the latter would later confirm.

"Floyd Mayweather is interested in taking a mixed martial arts bout, maybe a few of them," Woodley revealed on The Hollywood Breakdown recently. "So who better than ‘The Chosen One’ to teach him the ropes on how we get off the ropes and get on the cage? We’re getting it set up. Think about this: Floyd Mayweather’s one of the best strikers of all-time. How many guys in the UFC – they can’t wrestle and can’t grapple, but they consider themselves a stand-up fighter? They have to stand across one of the greatest strikers ever, they’re gonna be in a world of smoke."

While he claims his wrestling ability is a seven out of 10, Mayweather added that will take as much time with training as possible to make sure his octagon debut is done right.

"Even if it takes 6 to 8 months -- whatever it takes. We want to make sure that everything is done correctly, and everything is done the right way," Mayweather explained.

Should the Grand Rapids native actually compete in MMA, he will join a small list of boxers to have crossed over to the other side of combat sports. American light-heavyweight Art Jimmerson was the first boxer to do it at UFC 1 in 1993 as he took on submission specialist Royce Gracie, only to tap out once he was mounted by the Brazilian in the first round.

Former boxing heavyweight champion James Toney also tested his skills against former two-division UFC champion Randy Couture at UFC 118 in 2010. Despite being five years the senior at 48 years of age at the time, Couture comfortably defeated Toney via an arm triangle choke in the first round.

The only boxer to find success in the cage was former boxing heavyweight champion Ray Mercer when he knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia within nine seconds of the first round in their cross-combat contest that took place at an Adrenaline MMA event.