Islam Makhachev's Future: Boxing Conor McGregor or Defending His Title?
Islam Makhachev walked out of UFC 330 with his welterweight title, a 17th straight win, and a reminder that even the most dominant champions pay a price. The Dagestani star beat Ian Garry but left the Octagon nursing damage serious enough to require multiple MRI scans and renewed attention to nagging spinal issues.
The queue of contenders isn’t getting any shorter. Carlos Prates, Michael Morales and the rest of the division are circling, waiting for the champion’s body to catch up with his ambition.
And yet, one of the biggest challenges on his horizon might not come in a cage at all.
A Saudi pitch and a familiar name
At the Zuffa 9 boxing event in August, Turki Alalshikh did what he does best: stir the pot. The Saudi power broker not only floated the idea of Islam Makhachev in a boxing ring, he put Conor McGregor on a video call in front of him.
That’s where the seed was planted.
A crossover bout. Makhachev, the suffocating grappler turned increasingly confident striker, against McGregor, the faded but still magnetic Irishman whose left hand once ruled two divisions and crossed over to boxing’s biggest stage.
Makhachev has now leaned into that possibility. Speaking with Ushatayka, he made it clear this wouldn’t be some money-chasing detour, at least not in his mind. He spoke like a man who believes his stand-up has caught up with his reputation.
Asked how dangerous McGregor would be in a pure boxing setting—especially after ACL and meniscus surgery and a series of injury setbacks—Makhachev didn’t dismiss him outright.
“Well, if I say he's not dangerous at all, it would be wrong,” he replied. “Yes, maybe he's dangerous in the first round, but after that I don't think he has any chance.”
That’s the dynamic in a sentence: respect for McGregor’s early fire, zero fear of what comes after.
Money on the table, pride in the foreground
Boxing, of course, brings a different kind of payday. The interviewer pushed the obvious angle: what kind of purse would Makhachev want to share a ring with McGregor? Seven figures? Eight?
“I don't know. When it comes to boxing, they pay very good money,” Makhachev said.
Then he stripped it down to what really matters to him.
“I don't know. Honestly, regardless of the purse I'd box. Specifically against Conor, yes.”
This isn’t a man begging for a lottery ticket. It’s a champion who believes he can drag one of MMA’s most famous strikers into a realm where his own evolution can be showcased—and judged.
McGregor’s shadow and Makhachev’s rise
McGregor is no longer the force who terrorized featherweights and lightweights. His comeback at UFC 329 ended in another brutal twist: a torn ACL and meniscus, another long layoff, more questions about what’s left.
Yet his name still carries weight. His profile, his highlight reel, his ability to sell a fight—all remain elite. He has already proved he can operate in a boxing ring, going 10 rounds with Floyd Mayweather in 2017. That night, he didn’t shock the world, but he did show enough to avoid embarrassment against one of the greatest boxers of this generation.
That was nearly a decade ago. Since then, McGregor’s body has absorbed punishment, surgeries, and long spells of inactivity. The sharpness that once separated him from everyone else has dulled.
Makhachev, meanwhile, has moved in the opposite direction. Originally known as a suffocating wrestler in the Khabib Nurmagomedov mold, he has quietly sharpened his striking with every outing. The confidence in his hands and timing is no longer theoretical; it’s built on years of work and high-level opposition.
On paper, a boxing match between them still feels like a stretch. Different stages of their careers, different priorities, different risks. One man is the reigning UFC welterweight champion with a 17-fight win streak to protect. The other is a global star trying to piece together the final chapters of a turbulent career.
But combat sports rarely live on paper.
If Turki Alalshikh decides to push the button—and the UFC and McGregor play along—the spectacle almost sells itself. A relentless, surging champion stepping out of his comfort zone. A wounded icon chasing one more blockbuster night under the lights.
The Octagon can wait. The question now is simple: will Islam Makhachev’s next great fight be for legacy inside the cage, or for spectacle inside the ropes?
