Amir Khan Confident He Would Beat Conor McGregor, Talks Up MMA Future
Former boxing world champion Amir Khan would consider trying MMA later in his career and insisted he would fancy his chances against current UFC Featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
Khan is set to fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in the biggest fight of his career on May 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Speaking with Declan Taylor of the Guardian, he looked beyond that date, believing he has the skills to change codes and take on the top guys:
"I’ve always been a UFC fan and I like McGregor and the way he promotes it. If I was to fight the champion around 147 pounds I would fancy my chances. You never know what will happen in the future—I would never say ‘no’ to getting into MMA. I could do it under my own banner and what a way to do it. My speed would be perfect, it’s hit and move.
Just look at when McGregor beat Jose Aldo. The guy leant forward, over extended and fell short, McGregor stepped back and threw the straight right. It was a proper boxing move. I would not let anyone get close to me, I would take a step back and keep it long. I also believe that us boxers punch harder than MMA fighters anyway.
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Planning too far ahead would be naive for Khan, though, as he’s a boxer who will feel he still has a lot to accomplish inside the ring before pondering a step into the Octagon.
His bout with Canelo is a wonderful chance to propel himself to the summit of the sport. Granted, the odds are stacked against the Brit—Alvarez is a tenacious operator and Khan will be making his middleweight debut on the night—but he’ll fancy his chances of causing problems with his blistering speed.
Golden Boy promoter Oscar de la Hoya revealed he sees Khan as a huge stumbling block for the Mexican, per Dan Rafael of ESPN:
It’d certainly be fascinating to see how the Bolton puncher would fare in MMA. When asked about whether he could kick by Taylor, Khan’s response was “I’ll try it out on you later and you can tell me.”
He’s the second British boxer to claim that he’d be keen on trying MMA recently. George Groves revealed he’s a huge fan of the UFC, per Sky Sports, insisting “I'd love to have a crack at it.” Examples of boxers going on to have success at the highest level in the UFC are non-existent, though.
Indeed, while it’s easy to lump the two together as combat sports, they are completely different disciplines. McGregor is a renowned striker, and while he couldn’t cope boxing someone such as Khan, there are so many other areas in which MMA competitors need to be well versed. Fast and accurate hands simply aren’t enough.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden suggested earlier this year the likes of McGregor also have a lot more bravery than boxing champions:
"Everyone I've talked to in boxing so impressed with McGregor right now. Some broadcasters wish their champions had his courage. #UFC196
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) March 6, 2016"
The fact that boxers are pondering a potential crossover is a sign of just how much the UFC is growing as a company. While it’s not quite on a par with boxing yet, characters such as McGregor have pushed the sport in front of massive audiences.
Changing over won’t come easy, but it’d be intriguing to witness an elite boxer make a concerted effort to excel inside the cage. Perhaps Khan can be the man to set the trend in the future.
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