"Daddy" doesn't like Floyd in MMA

Reported by Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! Sports:

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. dropped a bombshell last week when he said he was considering becoming a mixed martial arts fighter.

One of the world's finest MMA fighters said Mayweather wouldn't be good for the sport and said he's deluding himself if he thinks he can become an elite fighter in a short period of time.

Joe "Daddy" Stevenson, who will fight B.J. Penn for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 80 on Jan. 19 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, said Mayweather "wouldn't be good for our sport."

"He represents himself in a different manner and it's not the way I think is correct for our athletes," Stevenson said. "You don't brag about how much money you make. That's totally disrespectful. I've seen him in clubs and I've seen the way he treats people and I can tell you, that's not the kind of a guy we want representing this sport."

And though Stevenson praised Mayweather's boxing skills and his athleticism, he said becoming a world-class MMA fighter takes years of training. He sounded skeptical of the nearly 31-year-old Mayweather's ability to make the transition.

Clearly, Stevenson said, Mayweather would be a dangerous striker, but he would struggle in the other aspects.

"It's moronic for him to think he can cross over and do this at 31," Stevenson said. "It's like me saying I could be the best in golf. It looks easy, but I'd sound retarded to say I could go out there after a couple of months and win. The pressure, the coordination, the ability to play the greens, there are so many things involved.

"Boxing and MMA are different sports. He's a great boxer. He's the best. I was rooting for Ricky Hatton and I have to give Floyd credit for doing what he did. But he'd be in an entirely different sport. And yeah, his strikes would be intimidating, but I'd take him down. He'd have to be able to defend a takedown and that sounds a lot easier than it is." Mayweather hasn't spoken publicly on his plans yet. Stevenson said he'd bring attention to MMA, which is good, but said the sport is growing on its own.

"I don't think we need that kind of attention," Stevenson said. "We have a great sport and a lot of people are beginning to realize that, more every day. We don't have to bring in the best boxers just to get people to pay attention to us, because they're realizing what a great sport we have already."