Conor McGregor is a rarity in mixed martial arts for a number of reasons and not least among them is the Dubliner's ability to entice major figures in the boxing world to want a piece of the McGregor Show.
The will-it-won't-it happen (it won't, by the way) potential boxing match between McGregor and Floyd Mayweather dominated the press as soon as rumours began to spread last May, while a number of other pugilists have been all too keen to throw their names into the situation whenever rumours of McGregor entering the world of boxing raise their head.
Amazing fight @TheNotoriousMMA Showed true heart/balls and guts. Well done, have a good rest. See you soon. Call me, we need to talk 😉
— Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) August 21, 2016
Amir Khan, though, seems to be approaching this from a different angle. Speaking earlier this month, the former WBA and IBF super-lightweight champion announced that he would be willing to face McGregor in a two-fight series - one in boxing and one in MMA.
Conor has been talking about fighting a boxer. He wanted to fight Mayweather but Mayweather didn't want it. If me and Conor were going to do it, we'd do one boxing and one MMA. It would be a two-fight deal and would definitely work.
To add fuel to these rumours, McGregor suggested in the UFC post-fight press conference that he has a lot of options. In his usually cryptic fashion, McGregor said:
I’ve got to talk about what’s next. There’s a lot of options; some might not be this sport. So, we’ll see.
Khan, who lost in brutal fashion to Canelo Alvarez earlier this summer, has long been a fan of mixed martial arts. He is the owner and chairman of Indian MMA promotion Super Fight League, one of the dominant mixed martial arts companies in Asia. A move to MMA for Khan, even if it was temporary, would represent the first time that a top level pro boxer has transitioned between the two sports (James Toney was well past his best when he challenged Randy Couture) but, realistically, it would take a lot of negotiations for this to come to pass.
After McGregor's close win over Nate Diaz at UFC 202 last weekend, a huge number of fighters have been queuing up to try and get their names on a fight contract with the Irishman. Aside from the inevitiable trilogy fight with Diaz, José Aldo is waiting for him at featherweight. Eddie Alvarez, the UFC lightweight champion, has called him out. Donald Cerrone, Khabib Nurmagomedov...the list goes on.
McGregor will follow the money though and if there's cash to be made with Amir Khan, Conor McGregor will most certainly be interested. The big stumbling block is the fact that the UFC own McGregor's contract so anything that happens will have to be done with Dana White's blessing - and that is easier said than done.
Meanwhile, some of the biggest names in boxing have been congratulating McGregor on social media for his hard-fought win against a tough Nate Diaz.
Congrats @TheNotoriousMMA on a great win - you moved up 25lbs..just the 13lbs for me! #sept10 #gggbrook #2weight2time
— Kell Brook (@SpecialKBrook) August 22, 2016
Yaaaaaahhhhhhh @TheNotoriousMMA surprise surprise muthaf#*kers!!! We cut them up that's what we do!! Congrats brother proud of you! #UFC202
— Michael Conlan (@mickconlan11) August 21, 2016
Congratulations champ! https://t.co/nDKIVQYz5J
— Paddy Barnes OLY (@paddyb_ireland) August 21, 2016
LEGEND!!! @TheNotoriousMMA
— Carl Frampton MBE (@RealCFrampton) August 21, 2016
