The timing of Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor "couldn't be better" for WME-IMG, which is in the "midst of negotiating new TV rights deals for UFC and banking on a hefty premium" over the $115M that Fox Sports annually pays, according to Marisa Guthrie of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. UFC President Dana White said that the outfit is "'sniffing around' to expand into boxing and claims he's leaving rights negotiations" on a new UFC TV deal to WME-IMG co-CEO Ari Emanuel. White: "I feel confident that a highly motivated Ari Emanuel will get us a great TV rights deal." Asked about his thoughts on ESPN's recent foray back into boxing with Top Rank Chair Bob Arum, White said, "We've never done one boxing event, but I guarantee you it'll be better than Top Rank. Look how long it took to make Pacquiao-Mayweather happen, right? It took forever. Then I sit down with (Mayweather adviser) Al Haymon, we have four meetings, we got our fight done. These guys aren't even in the same sport. This just goes to show you what an absolute asshole Bob Arum really is." Asked whether it is a problem for a potential TV partner when PPV has the best UFC bouts, White said, "I built this business from the ground up. We continue to innovate. I don't ever want to be in a position where guys who didn't believe in this sport 15 years ago are telling me what to put on PPV. But if you go into a negotiation, I'd say everything is on the table" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 8/3).
