“I’ll give you the money, Don”

-Last words spoken by Sam Garrett, before Don King kicked him to death

80-year old boxing promoter Don King of the “Rumble in the Jungle” between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali and “Thrilla in Manila” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier has been out of the spotlight, since he doesn’t represent boxing two cash cows: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

But when King looks at the fast-growing world of mixed martial arts, he likes what he sees. He praises the work of UFC president Dana White. King says he’d like to get into the business himself.

“MMA is just an outright Pier 6 brawl,” the octogenarian promoter said this week. “It’s sophisticated barbarism.”

“UFC is doing a much better job in advertising and promoting than the guys that are out here [in boxing],” King said. “The young kids want to see action, and UFC is exciting. That’s where the knockout punch comes in boxing.”

And yet, that’s as far as you’ll draw King into a comparison of the two sports.

“There’s no comparison,” he said. “It’s ‘in addition to.’ “

“I’m looking forward to doing (MMA) too. And creating a competition between the UFC and whatever I call the MMA company that I put together,” says King.

Boxing, says King, has been self-destructing by giving fans fights — but never giving the fights they really want to see like Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. He blames cable TV executives who’ve become increasingly powerful over the years.