Floyd Mayweather Jr. is reportedly ‘training like a maniac’ in the gym and is considering making a dramatic U-turn on his retirement plans That is according to an article published by TMZ Sports. The report claims that ‘people close t…
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is reportedly ‘training like a maniac’ in the gym and is considering making a dramatic U-turn on his retirement plans That is according to an article published by TMZ Sports. The report claims that ‘people close to Mayweather’ believe that money will make a return to the ring at some point next year: […]
Well, we have finally made it to fight day. The biggest fight of the year will go later tonight (August 26th). That is, of course, the boxing showdown between boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor. Amir Khan believes that McGregor needs to take care of himself during the boxing bout […]
Well, we have finally made it to fight day. The biggest fight of the year will go later tonight (August 26th). That is, of course, the boxing showdown between boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
Amir Khan believes that McGregor needs to take care of himself during the boxing bout due to the fact that he could seriously injure himself. During a recent interview, the former light-welterweight champion believes that Mayweather could trounce McGregor.
“Looking at it as a fight, I just think that Mayweather is going to school him,” Amir Khan told Ariel Helwani on Friday’s special edition of The MMA Hour from Las Vegas. “After two rounds Mayweather is going to know exactly what McGregor is doing in the fight and he’s going to clean him.”
Khan was then asked about if he thought Mayweather could pick up a stoppage victory over the hard-hitting UFC champion. To say the least, Khan replied affirmatively, and also stated that McGregor should quit during the bout if he is receiving too much of a beating.
“Between rounds six and nine,” Khan said. “I see a lot of punches hurting [McGregor]. He has a good chin, but if you keep getting hit on that chin, numerous times at the same point … how much punishment can your body take?
“Conor is the younger fighter. He’s a young champion. He can go back to MMA and have a couple of big fights. He should not really show too much balls in this fight. If he starts to get a beating, step out, man, because there’s always another day. Mayweather’s a great fighter, and you have to respect that.”
Khan then made a bold statement by saying that McGregor is endangering himself by going into the fight.
“That’s why I’m saying that he needs to think about himself in this fight because if he gets seriously injured, he might not be the same fighter ever again,” Khan said. He might never fight again.”
“The Nevada Commission is really good though. [McGregor] has shown a lot and he’s such a big name and such a good fighter. I just think it’s good for Nevada and good for Vegas to have such a big fight here,” Khan said. It’s got so many fans coming through Vegas, I think it’s brilliant for the economy.”
Amir Khan thinks a bout with UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor would show he is a “real man” as he continues to talk up a potential switch to MMA.
The boxer lost his last professional bout in devastating fashion, suffering a brutal …
Amir Khan thinks a bout with UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor would show he is a “real man” as he continues to talk up a potential switch to MMA.
The boxer lost his last professional bout in devastating fashion, suffering a brutal knockout at the hands of middleweight star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Nevertheless, the Bolton-born puncher seems keen to continue pushing his boundaries and posed a possible challenge to McGregor, per Jefferson Lake of Sky Sports:
I’ll go and fight [McGregor] just to prove I’m a real man. I’m not one to back away, I’ve never backed away from any fight and I never will.
Conor seems to have the same kind of attitude as well, so maybe that’s something that in the future that can happen. I say why not? I would definitely step into the Octagon with him. Conor, you’re a big name and let’s make this fight happen. I’d love to take him on. If Conor wants it, let’s have it.
As noted in the piece, Khan has discussed a potential change in codes previously, insisting he could “stop and train for a full year and become a good MMA fighter.” He recently posted the following bulletin on his Twitter feed, too, teasing a potential change:
McGregor has also been at the centre of speculation about a potential change in discipline. As noted by Lake, while the Irishman is set to take on Nate Diaz in a rematch at UFC 202, there have been exchanges between the MMA star and retired boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. about a potential big-money showdown.
While those tied to each sport have been apprehensive about a potential change in codes, UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes it’s something that’d be fascinating to see:
Khan’s career is at a crossroads following his loss to Canelo. While few expected the Briton to get the better of the much bigger and stronger Mexican, the manner in which Canelo floored him sapped the momentum Khan built previously with some strong showings.
So perhaps it’s little surprise the 29-year-old, a former unified WBA and IBF light-welterweight champion, is exploring different options in combat sports. With his fast hands and sharp feet, he’s better suited than a lot of boxers to potentially make the switch to MMA, too.
However, the FightNights.com Twitter feed is unsure whether Khan, even with his natural boxing talent, would be able to get the better of UFC stars in striking exchanges:
For the time being, McGregor has a lot of challenges on the horizon. Win or lose against Diaz, he’ll have to take on Jose Aldo for a second time if he wants to keep hold of the featherweight title. Regardless of the results, given his massive draw, there will always be elite competitors seeking to take on the Notorious in the Octagon, too.
So any potential showdown with Khan is a long way off yet. But with the boxer in the prime of his career and, crucially, keen to try his hand at MMA, it’s certainly a more likely prospect than McGregor facing Mayweather at this juncture.
The worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts are never far apart. They seem to run parallel but also in quite different directions. If you ask UFC president Dana White, he’ll tell you boxing is dying, equally if Bob Arum’s recent comments are anything to go by, the UFC is ‘full of corruption and steroids.’
The worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts are never far apart. They seem to run parallel but also in quite different directions. If you ask UFC president Dana White, he’ll tell you boxing is dying, equally if Bob Arum’s recent comments are anything to go by, the UFC is ‘full of corruption and steroids.’ Yet still the two sports are eternally linked in one way or another, mostly in a competitive nature.
When boxers like James Toney make a move in to MMA, we tend to take it with a pound of salt, but when you hear about guys like Amir Khan, it’s no longer a freak show attraction. The former world welterweight champion from Bolton, England has teased joining the UFC in the past, but in recent days has really began substantiating these reports. Either that, or he’s playing the ‘Mayweather game.’
Via BBC.co.uk, Amir Khan says he’s ready for a big fight with UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor:
“McGregor is a massive name in MMA and I’m a big name in boxing, so, globally, I think it would be a massive fight,”
“I don’t think Mayweather would want to fight under MMA rules, 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,”
Unlike Mayweather’s rumoured fight with McGregor, Khan has some legitimate involvement with the sport of MMA. He’s co-owner of the Indian MMA promotion ‘Super Fight League,’ and is now massively teasing his switch to mixed martial arts competition. Although he lost in his most recent boxing bout with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, it’s well-known that the jump to face the much bigger middleweight for the title was extremely risky.
Check out the latest social media posts from ‘King Khan’ in relation to the UFC and McGregor:
Let's hope Connor v Diaz goes the way we think. Connor we need you to win! @thenotoriousMMA
Boxing champion Amir Khan recently spoke with Chamatkar Sandhu of FloCombat and during their discussion, he revealed that he wouldn’t mind fighting UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor in an MMA rules bout.
“I would, definitely. Something like …
Boxing champion Amir Khan recently spoke with Chamatkar Sandhu of FloCombat and during their discussion, he revealed that he wouldn’t mind fighting UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor in an MMA rules bout.
“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.:”
Not only would he like to fight him, he actually likes his chances, noting that “a good boxer will always win a MMA fight.”
“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.”
Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon to fight Nate Diaz in a 170-pound rematch at UFC 202 on Saturday, August 20th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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, K…
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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