When it comes to boxing vs. MMA, there's a lot of talk, and not all that much action. For ever Randy Couture vs. James Toney there seems to be two Anderson Silva vs. Roy Jones Jr. opportunities. The latest of these is talk surrounding the potential for an Amir Khan vs. Conor McGregor fight in the UFC.
It's one of many potential (and mostly very theoretical) superfights involving the UFC's current biggest PPV star. And while some may be dismissive of the idea that either man would stand a significant chance at beating the other in his own element, light heavyweight boxing great Roy Jones Jr. went on the record to say that for fighters like Khan, it's not about the odds:
"Man, listen," RJJ commanded Fight Hub TV, "Amir Khan's the dude that... He just showed he don't care, he'll fight anybody, any kind of way, anywhere. He don't care. He thinks like I think, "So what!? You could get beat, you could get knocked out, but who cares!?" That's what we do for a living, we don't care. So, what he's saying is, "Look, I don't care who it is or what kind of fight it is. I'll fight whoever." How can you not love that in a guy. He just moved up in a weightclass he's never seen in his life and fought one of the baddest beasts in that weightclass. Why would he not go ahead and fight Conor McGregor? What does he lose? He just fought a pretty deadly guy in Canelo. So, why would he not? What's he lose? He could land a bomb too!"
If Khan really is that crazy/willing to fight McGregor in the UFC, that probably gives the potential for this fight happening a lot more life than it might otherwise have. There's next to no chance the UFC would let a star like McGregor go and fight outside his contract, but like the Couture vs. Toney bout, they've shown a willingness to accommodate a boxing star willing to work on their terms for a big showcase fight.
For the short term, McGregor is set to face Nate Diaz at UFC 202. And after that Dana White has assured fans that he'll be back on his way to featherweight to take on interim champ Jose Aldo. So that likely puts any immediate plans to rest. But as most fans are familiar with by now, the future and UFC matchmaking rarely stay in alignment for long.
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