Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub slammed Amir Khan after the Englishman said he would “fancy [his] chances” of beating Conor McGregor if he switched to MMA.
Schaub explained in his Fighter and the Kid podcast why it was ridiculous for Khan to suggest he could transition with ease from boxing into MMA, via Sports Joe’s Patrick McCarry:
Especially Khan being a lighter guy, he’s not going to be a knock-out 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 Amir 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.
See below video for the 33-year-old’s full comments (Warning: NSFW language):
Khan, a fan of the UFC who owns a stake in MMA company Super Fight League, revealed he would “never say no to getting into MMA,” per the Daily Star‘s Declan Taylor.
He added that he believes his skill-set would work well in the sport:
My speed would be perfect, it’s hit and move. And I can kick hard.
I’ve already done MMA training. It’s good for preparing to fight a guy like Canelo [Alvarez] who likes to put the pressure on.
I’ve always been a UFC fan and I like [UFC featherweight champion] McGregor.
But if I was to fight the champion around 147 pounds I would fancy my chances. McGregor or whoever.
I was at the last SFL show in Dubai, watching the guys in my weight closely. Even though I have no experience of MMA, I could have stepped in and done the business.
Khan, 29, is currently preparing for the biggest fight of his career on Saturday as he takes on Mexican Alvarez at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the WBC middleweight title.
He is making a big step up in weight in order to fight—to a catchweight of 155 pounds—and he is a heavy underdog in a clash billed as power against speed, per BoxNation:
Should Khan upset the odds and beat his 25-year-old opponent in Las Vegas, it will undoubtedly be the biggest win of his career.
And it will open up avenues previously closed to him, as fights against WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia, WBA and IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and perhaps even the currently retired Floyd Mayweather Jr. could be on the cards.
If he loses, though, he could opt to make the switch to MMA having now made it clear he would be open to it.
As far as Schaub is concerned, Khan would face a tough task in proving himself in the sport, but it would present him with an opportunity to back up his bold claims of being able to do the business.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com