UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev has thrown his name into the mix for a potential crossover fight against Conor McGregor. He called out the Irish star for a boxing match under the newly formed Zuffa Boxing banner.
The unbeaten UFC champion expressed interest in testing himself in the boxing ring, specifically against one of the sport’s biggest stars.
In his recent appearance on Kyno.tv, the reigning UFC champion was asked about the fight that piqued his interest. To the surprise of many, he named McGregor, praising the Irish boxing skills. He called out for a boxing bout under Dana White’s new boxing venture, Zuffa Boxing.
“Zuffa boxing with Conor, maybe that one. Maybe if Zuffa gives the chance to box Conor and Conor accepts, that would be nice. Conor is one of the best boxers in the UFC. It would be nice to fight that guy and good money too.”
The ‘Borz’ also praised McGregor’s mic skills compared to his next opponent, Sean Strickland, against whom he is set to defend his UFC middleweight title at UFC 328 on May 9.
“He talks better than Sean Strickland.”
Zuffa Boxing continues to generate attention. And his recently signed Conor Benn continues to dominate headlines. And Fighters are openly showing interest in the new promotion.
McGregor stays in spotlight as comeback speculation builds
As for McGregor’s boxing career, he was famously crossed over into boxing in 2017, facing Floyd Mayweather Jr. in one of the biggest combat sports events in history. While he was stopped in the later rounds, his performance drew widespread attention and proved his marketability in the boxing space.
McGregor has been out of action since his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 back in July 2021. He suffered a leg injury and lost the fight via stoppage.
He was scheduled to make his long-awaited comeback against long-time rival Michael Chandler at UFC 303. However, a few weeks before the fight, he suffered a toe injury and pulled out of the bout.
Strong reports have been going on that the UFC’s first simultaneous two-division champion will be back in the international fight week event, and MAX Holloway is the frontrunner to face him in the comeback fight.
McGregor also teased that his comeback is near, and White has shared that talks have been ongoing and look positive.
UFC fighters keep calling out McGregor for a potential fight in the UFC. It’s no big deal every week or a month; MMA fighters express their desire to fight him. As ‘The Notorious’ is widely seen as a face of UFC and arguably the biggest star that UFC has had.
Fighting McGregor means a guaranteed big paycheck, and most fighters want to get the taste of the Irish. It will be interesting to see if the UFC boss will be interested in booking Chimaev vs McGregor in the Zuffa Boxing.
