Khamzat Chimaev has set his sights on a crossover boxing showdown with Conor McGregor, but insists he has no intention of leaving MMA behind.
The UFC middleweight, who is preparing for his first title defense at UFC 328, made it clear he wants a one-off Zuffa Boxing opportunity rather than a full-time switch. “I’m not going to move over to boxing,” Chimaev said. “I will be forever a UFC fighter. Maybe if Zuffa [Boxing] gives the chance, box with Conor, or if Conor wants to accept that. It would be nice. Why not?”
Chimaev spoke with clear respect about McGregor’s striking. “Conor is a good boxer, one of the best boxers in the UFC,” he said, adding, “It would be nice to try and go fight that guy. Good money, too. He talks better than Sean Strickland. It would be fun.”
McGregor’s rise has been a personal motivator for Chimaev ever since the Irish star’s quick finish of Jose Aldo and the payday that came with it. “When I saw that fight, I heard about how much he made,” Chimaev said. “That’s why I got motivated to start MMA. It’s cool to see. It would be cool [to box him]. Why should it be personal?”
McGregor previously boxed Floyd Mayweather in 2017, losing by 10th-round TKO, while his 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo made him featherweight champion and helped inspire Chimaev’s own path into MMA.
