Another boxer has signaled interest in a potential fight with UFC star Conor McGregor, and it seems Amir Khan may be serious about stepping inside the Octagon.
In an interview with FloCombat’s Chamatkar Sandhu released Tuesday, Khan argued he’d be able to make the transition from boxing to mixed martial arts:
I would, definitely. Something like that would be massive. Even if I started to train MMA next year, I’d only be 30 years old. I could stop and train for a full year and become a good MMA fighter. It’s in our blood to fight. I’ve been fighting all my life, so for me, I don’t think it’d be a problem for me to learn and switch over to the sport.
Khan also said he’d like his chances if pitted against McGregor:
I think McGregor has some great boxing skills. A good boxer will always win a MMA fight–I’ve always said that. A good puncher will always win. You saw in the [Jose] Aldo fight–he took a step back and countered him as he came in. With boxing, it’s all about distance and timing, and that’s something we have on our side more than MMA fighters.
When McGregor was embroiled in his standoff with the UFC that saw him pulled from July 9’s UFC 200 card, Floyd Mayweather Jr. also threw out the idea of a fight with the featherweight champion. Mayweather went so far as to create a promotional poster for the event:
On a May episode of Russillo & Kanell, via ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto, UFC President Dana White downplayed the chances of Mayweather and McGregor fighting:
Let me put it to you this way. Manny Pacquiao and [Mayweather] are in the same sport. It took how long for those two to fight? Now imagine how hard it would be to get (Mayweather and McGregor) to fight. They’re not in the same sport. […]
Is this thing going to be MMA or boxing rules? Who’s getting the lion’s share of the money? This and that. It’s impossible. But like I’ve said, ‘Floyd, you want to fight Conor, call me.’
Many of those same logistical problems would be present should Khan want to pursue a bout in the UFC. Since Khan isn’t as big of a star as Mayweather, White may also question whether bringing him into MMA would be worth all of the hassle.
To his credit, though, Khan told Sandhu he’d be willing to make certain concessions—most notably that he’d fight under MMA rules.
James Toney was similarly confident he’d be successful in MMA after years in the boxing ring, but Randy Couture submitted him in three minutes and 19 seconds at UFC 118 in August 2010. At 29 years old, Khan is 13 years younger than Toney was for his fight against Couture, though.
Shortly after Khan first discussed venturing into MMA back in May, former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub argued on the Fighter and the Kid podcast, via Patrick McCarry of SportsJOE.ie, Khan would be in for a rude awakening:
Especially Khan being a lighter guy, he’s not going to be a knockout guy. I don’t even know where to begin on this…He’s that boxer saying ‘I don’t need a ground game; I could walk into the Octagon’… I’ll tell you this right now, you could take a low-level amateur at 155 pounds—a guy who might not even make The Ultimate Fighter house—and he would mop the floor with [Khan]. Mop the floor. All he would have to do would be cover up, get inside and get an underhook. [Khan] would go for a ride.
Khan would likely be a heavy underdog should he ever oppose McGregor in the Octagon, but the fight would create a lot of buzz among fight fans who want to see two stars from boxing and MMA face off.
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