Dana White hints at Mayweather collaboration after boxer sues over $175m fraud

UFC president Dana White has floated the idea of partnering with Floyd Mayweather after the undefeated boxing legend filed a fraud lawsuit in a New York court against a former investment manager he claims stole $175 million from him.

Mayweather, who retired from professional boxing with a perfect 50-0 record, is pursuing charges of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, according to an ESPN report. The case has drawn widespread attention given the scale of the alleged losses.

White was asked about the situation at the Zuffa Boxing 8 post-fight press conference on Sunday, and while he was cautious about the specifics, he did not hide a degree of sympathy — or intrigue.

“That’s a tough one,” White said. “I’ve talked to him about it, but I don’t know enough about it. You hear all of these different stories. I think you have to wait to see how this thing’s going to play out in court for him.”

White then broadened the point to the wider problem of financial mismanagement in professional sport before closing with a remark that raised eyebrows.

“When somebody works as hard as he did and amasses the type of wealth that he had and they lose it, or it gets stolen, or whatever the deal is, it’s horrible,” White said. “And it happens a lot in professional sports. So who knows? Anything is possible. Maybe we could do something and figure it out for him.”

The comment, delivered with what was described as a smirk, stopped short of any concrete proposal but immediately prompted speculation about a potential Mayweather return under the Zuffa Boxing banner.

White and Mayweather have history. The two co-promoted Mayweather’s 2017 crossover bout against former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor, which Mayweather won by 10th-round TKO in what proved to be his final professional fight. Mayweather has since appeared in several exhibition bouts, including a no-decision against Logan Paul in June 2021, but has not competed professionally since.

No further details about any potential collaboration were offered, and the outcome of the fraud lawsuit remains to be determined by the courts.