Mayweather teasing the idea of a McGregor fight this past spring opened the eyes of top welterweight Amir Khan. Khan feels that he matches up favorably against Conor and with just a year of training he’d be able to make the transition.
“It would’ve been a great business move, but I don’t think it would’ve been a good fight. I don’t think Mayweather would want to fight under MMA rules. I look at it more as a publicity stunt. People were talking about it. It worked while it lasted, and they brought the hype up.
“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.”
As someone who regularly covers both boxing and the UFC, I can honestly say that Khan is downplaying what it takes to compete in the octagon. Mastering the jiu-jitsu, wrestling and kickboxing aspects of MMA takes far longer than one year but it’d be good to see Khan give it a try.
“I would, definitely [fight in the UFC]. 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 went on to say that the best boxer usually wins in MMA, which isn’t true at all, and hints at him having an advantage over 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 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.”
I wonder if Dana White will give him a shot? It’d be better than the CM Punk experiment.