Islam Makhachev Eyes Boxing Showdown with Conor McGregor
Islam Makhachev has conquered the cage. Now he’s eyeing the ring.
The UFC welterweight champion and current No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter has admitted he’s genuinely intrigued by a boxing showdown with Conor McGregor — a crossover spectacle that would pit today’s most dominant technician against the sport’s most bankable star.
McGregor’s recent form and long layoff mean he’s nowhere near a UFC welterweight title shot. That door is shut for now. But boxing lives on a different street, with different rules, and a different kind of chaos. On that stage, Makhachev says he’d gladly meet McGregor.
“Regardless of the purse, I’d box Conor”
Speaking to Ushatayka, Makhachev didn’t dance around the idea. He wants it, and he believes it would be brutally one-sided once the early storm passes.
“Yes maybe he’s dangerous in the first round, but after that I don’t think he has any chance. Honestly, regardless of the purse I’d box (Conor),” Makhachev said.
That’s not the language of a man chasing a payday. That’s a champion convinced he’d dominate a former two-division UFC king in his own chosen arena.
Makhachev built his reputation on suffocating grappling and clinical control, yet he’s quietly developed into a sharp, confident striker. McGregor, of course, made his name by flattening opponents with a single left hand and carried that power into his high-profile boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. Strip away the takedowns and the clinch battles, and the equation changes. McGregor wouldn’t need to worry about being dragged to the mat; he’d be free to hunt for Makhachev’s chin.
That’s the intrigue. That’s the risk.
The Dana White question
Would Dana White ever sign off on it?
On paper, Makhachev vs. McGregor makes little sense inside the UFC’s Octagon right now. Their trajectories are miles apart. But under a Zuffa Boxing banner, with the UFC machine driving the promotion, the matchup suddenly looks like a promoter’s dream: the sport’s best active fighter against its biggest global superstar, colliding under boxing rules.
In MMA, the narrative would be simple. Almost everyone would back Makhachev. His elite grappling would loom over every second of the fight, forcing McGregor into a defensive shell he’s struggled to escape in recent years.
In boxing, the script isn’t so straightforward. Makhachev is an excellent striker but not primarily known as a pure boxer. McGregor’s power and timing, even after losses and layoffs, would give him a legitimate puncher’s chance. One clean shot can flip a ring on its head. That’s the currency of boxing, and McGregor has traded in it before.
Makhachev, though, clearly believes the gap in discipline, preparation, and durability would tell once the early adrenaline burns off.
Fantasy or future?
The reality is harsh: the odds heavily favor this matchup remaining nothing more than barbershop talk and social media debate. Contractual hurdles, timelines, and the UFC’s current priorities all stack up against it.
But the idea lingers.
The most complete fighter in MMA today, willing to step into a boxing ring “regardless of the purse,” against the man who dragged the sport into mainstream conversation and has never been shy about crossing codes himself.
If the business ever aligns with the bravado, the squared circle could host one of the most audacious experiments in combat sports. Until then, it lives where so many great fights start and end — in the imagination.
