Manny Pacquiao Ready to Enter the Octagon for an MMA Fight
In a recent interview, Manny Pacquiao, considered by many to be the best pound for pound boxer in the world said, "I want to (MMA fight), but they (his handlers) don't want me to."
Now, before you start lining up an opponent, think about what it would cost to get Pac Man into the octagon. Pacquiao was guaranteed $12 million for his March fight against Joshua Clottey. At this time, no MMA organization could guarantee that kind of money, let alone the rumored $40 million Pacquiao would earn in a fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
To think that he would sign with either Ultimate Fighting Championship or Strikeforce for a fight is foolish. At this time, no MMA organization could afford that kind of payout.
In a recent article ESPN.com's Jake Rossen posits an interesting scenario, sidestepping the current MMA promotions.
Pacquiao is wildly popular and has no need for Dana White and the UFC. Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, could easily put together an MMA card that would feature Manny against a fighter that would suit Manny's skill set.
An MMA match such as this would be a farce, but in the end would it be any different from the recent Randy Couture-James Toney fight? Toney and his skill set had no business being in the octagon with the former UFC champ. Yet there he was, "shaking out" to a Couture arm triangle in the first round of their fight.
If Arum promoted a fight with Pacquiao and a clearly overmatched MMA fighter with limited skills would there be a difference? Simply put, the answer is no.
The one thing we would miss out on in the above scenario is the verbal fireworks that could be counted on between Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, and Dana White.
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