Islam Makhachev Open to Boxing Conor McGregor Regardless of Purse
Islam Makhachev is running out of challenges in MMA. Now he’s looking over the fence. Not at another contender. At another sport. And at the one name that still bends the combat sports universe around it: Conor McGregor.
The UFC welterweight champion and current No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter has admitted he’s genuinely intrigued by the idea of swapping the cage for the ring to face McGregor in a boxing match. Not a title defense, not a superfight in Abu Dhabi, but a straight-up boxing bout with the sport’s biggest MMA star.
“Maybe He’s Dangerous in the First Round…”
Speaking to Ushatayka, Makhachev didn’t bother dressing it up. He believes a boxing meeting with McGregor wouldn’t just favor him — it would be one-sided.
“Yes maybe he’s dangerous in the first round, but after that I don’t think he has any chance. Honestly, regardless of the purse I’d box (Conor),” Makhachev said.
No talk of negotiations. No caveats about timing. Just a champion convinced he would “wipe the floor” with McGregor under boxing rules and willing to do it without demanding a blockbuster payday. For a modern star at the top of the sport, that’s a rare stance.
A Fight That Makes No Sense… and Every Kind of Sense
Inside the UFC’s welterweight division, this matchup simply isn’t on the table. McGregor is coming off multiple losses and nowhere near a shot at Makhachev’s belt. On merit, the pairing doesn’t fly.
But boxing runs on a different currency. Star power. Spectacle. Narrative.
In that world, a clash between the best pound-for-pound fighter in MMA and the sport’s most famous name suddenly feels plausible. If there were a way to get it signed, Makhachev has made it clear: he’s in.
That drops the question squarely at the feet of one man.
Would Dana White Actually Do It?
For UFC president Dana White, a Makhachev vs. McGregor boxing match under a Zuffa Boxing banner would be a promoter’s dream on paper: the sport’s most dominant active fighter against its most recognizable superstar.
In MMA, the script would be simple. Almost everyone would pick Makhachev. His elite grappling, suffocating control, and complete game would make him a heavy favorite over a McGregor who would have to deal with takedowns, clinches, and the full chaos of mixed martial arts.
Strip all that away, though, and the equation changes.
Boxing Levels the Playing Field
In a boxing ring, McGregor doesn’t have to worry about kicks or double-legs. No fence to get pinned against. No scrambles. Just hands, distance, timing, and power.
That’s where the intrigue lies.
McGregor’s pure punching power and sharp left hand give him a genuine puncher’s chance against almost anyone in a boxing match. He showed enough against Floyd Mayweather to at least prove he could compete for stretches with an elite boxer before the tide turned.
Makhachev, on the other hand, is not primarily known as a striker, but that doesn’t mean he’s limited on the feet. His stand-up has become a real weapon in MMA — disciplined, efficient, and dangerous enough to keep opponents honest. He’s confident he could more than hold his own against McGregor in a ring, and his comments make it clear he sees the matchup as his to dominate once the early storm passes.
A Fantasy That Refuses to Go Away
The reality? The odds strongly suggest fans will never see Makhachev vs. McGregor in any format — not in the Octagon, not under boxing rules. Too many moving parts, too many contractual hurdles, too many risks for all sides.
But the idea lingers. The best fighter in the world today calling out the sport’s biggest name in a different arena, saying the money doesn’t even matter to him — that’s the kind of spark that keeps fantasy matchups alive in fans’ minds.
If the UFC ever decides to lean fully into crossover fights again, this one will be waiting, sitting there like an unanswered question: what really happens when the modern pound-for-pound king walks into a boxing ring with the man who once owned the MMA spotlight?
