T.J. Dillashaw tells Gervonta Davis to ‘ask daddy Mayweather’ for permission to take UFC fight

The reigning, defending UFC bantamweight champion, T.J. Dillashaw has no shortage of opponents lining up for their shot at him.

Newly crowned flyweight champ Henry Cejudo is angling for a superfight, old rival Dominick Cruz looms as a potential foil, and several other contenders at 135 pounds are jockeying for position.

But the past week has seen a new challenger emerge, at least in the realm of social media.

Super featherweight boxing champion Gervonta Davis must have been paying attention to Dillashaw’s successful title defense against Cody Garbrandt at UFC 227, because the next day he issued a challenge to Dillashaw, though he did so without actually naming him. Even curiouser, the Mayweather Promotions fighter appeared to be open to entering Dillashaw’s world:

Dillashaw responded a few days later, taking a crack at Davis by implying that world class fighter Vasyl Lomachenko was the true champion of Davis’s division.

More back-and-forth followed, with Davis eventually guaranteeing that he would knock Dillashaw out.

On Saturday, Dillashaw posted a photoshopped image of him delivering a head kick to Davis, which the boxing star didn’t take too kindly to.

The parting shot (so far) saw Dillashaw agree to a UFC fight with Davis, so long as he is able to get the permission of Mayweather Promotions boss Floyd Mayweather. One of the most successful boxers in history, Mayweather knows a thing or two about crossover bouts, having recently teamed up with Conor McGregor and the UFC to put together a blockbuster event last August.

It’s doubtful that a match between Dillashaw and Davis would come anywhere close to reaching the interest level and revenue that Mayweather-McGregor generated, but this exchange shows that both fighters are at least willing to look inside of the box in search of their next payday.