Amir Khan Enters The Conor McGregor Sweepstakes, Open To Fighting The UFC Featherweight Champ In MMA
Floyd Mayweather isn’t the only boxer trying to get a piece of the pie as it pertains to UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor. You can add Amir Khan’s name into the mix.
Recently speaking to Flocombat.com, Khan said that he would be willing to not just fight McGregor, but fight on McGregor’s turf: MMA. He said that, unlike Mayweather, he’s open to fight McGregor in the UFC.
“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,” Khan said. “I’m a little different in that sense, where I would get into a cage and I would fight in MMA rules, so that’s the difference between me and Mayweather. I would definitely give it a go. It’s something to learn, as well. I’m at that age where I’m still learning, adapting and getting better. So I still have time under me as well. I’m still a young lad and got loads left in me.”
Khan, who last fought in May in a losing effort to Canelo Alvarez, became a financial stakeholder in Super Fight League, a MMA promotion that will be launching a team-based MMA league series in India this year. The franchised league will feature eight teams located across India, and will run from August 26 until October 1, 2016.
On the subject of Mayweather possibly fighting McGregor, Khan thinks that it was all a publicity stunt and that Mayweather would never have fought under unified MMA rules. He said that while it was more for publicity, the stunt worked as it got people talking.
“I don’t think Mayweather would ever take it,” Amir Khan said. “When Mayweather knows he’s in a real fight, he just backs out of it. It was good hype while it lasted but I knew it was never going to happen. If it did happen, it would be the biggest fight ever.”
Khan says that he thinks his boxing skills would give him the edge.
While Khan is open to the fight, it doesn’t look like it could happen for quite some time. Khan said that he could transition properly if he stopped boxing to dedicate a full year to training mixed martial arts.
“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,” he said.
McGregor will fight Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 202 on August 20 in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena.
By Carlos Toro
