Chimaev open to boxing match under Zuffa.
When it comes to a boxing vs. UFC debate, one argument that comes up is how the respective sports treat a fighter suffering a loss.
In boxing, a loss is considered a major blow to a fighter’s stock, something that lessens their value and often loses them some big opportunities.
In the UFC, however, a loss is treated more like a likely consequence of fighting, nearly an inevitability that comes with competing at the top level.
Boxing is littered with undefeated fighters at every level, but it is not so common in the UFC.
To be undefeated at all while fighting in the UFC is a major accomplishment, and one man to fit such a description is Khamzat Chimaev.
Chimaev is one of the best fighters in all of the UFC, reigning as the current middleweight champion of the world and holding wins over Kamaru Usman and Dricus du Plessis.
He is set to fight Sean Strickland next week, but when speaking to reporters ahead of the first defence of his title, he expressed a desire to face a former UFC world champion in a professional boxing match.
“I’m not going to move over to boxing. I will be forever a UFC fighter”, Chimaev stated. “Maybe if Zuffa [Boxing] gives the chance, box with Conor [McGregor], or if Conor wants to accept that. Why not?
“Conor is a good boxer. One of the best boxers in the UFC. 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 famously engaged in a professional boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017, an event that ranked as one of the highest-grossing fights in pugilistic history.
While Chimaev, like many Chechen fighters, is a superb wrestler, he has also displayed an ability to stand and punch.
McGregor has been out of action since 2021, but if a boxing match can be put together by Zuffa (owned by UFC boss Dana White), perhaps fans could finally see the meeting of two superb fighters who never got to cross paths in their native sport.
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