Khamzat Chimaev has responded to recent comments from Conor McGregor, expressing his willingness to fight the Irishman in either MMA or boxing. Chimaev stated that he has already spoken with Zuffa Boxing representatives about the possibility. The Chechen-born fighter emphasized that people underestimate his boxing skills because he primarily uses wrestling in MMA. He claims that if he transitions to boxing, he will showcase his striking abilities. Chimaev dismissed concerns about the ruleset, saying he is ready to compete under any format. The callout adds another potential high-profile fight to the ongoing narrative between the two fighters.
Khamzat Chimaev has publicly responded to recent comments from Conor McGregor, making clear he is open to fighting the Irish star under either MMA or boxing rules — and says he has already had conversations with Zuffa Boxing representatives about making it happen.
Chimaev, 32, enters the discussion as one of the most dangerous fighters in the world regardless of format. The Chechen-born UAE-based welterweight-turned-middleweight carries a 15-1 record and sits ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth in the pound-for-pound standings. Fighting out of Allstars Training Center, Borz has built his reputation on a smothering wrestling game that produces 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes, but he pushed back on the notion that his striking is a weakness. He argued that opponents and observers underestimate his boxing because he leans on his grappling in MMA, and he suggested that a move to the squared circle would reveal a different side of his skillset. His 60 percent striking accuracy in MMA lends some credibility to that claim.
McGregor, meanwhile, holds a 22-6 professional MMA record and remains one of the sport's most recognizable names at 37. The Dublin southpaw and SBG Ireland product built his career on sharp, precise boxing, and his output of 5.32 significant strikes landed per minute reflects an aggressive approach on the feet. His reach of 74 inches sits just one inch below Chimaev's 75-inch frame, making for a physically close matchup if the two were ever to meet in a boxing ring.
Why it matters
- Chimaev is the top-ranked middleweight and a top-ten pound-for-pound fighter, meaning his name attached to any crossover event carries genuine weight
- A boxing match would remove Chimaev's dominant grappling from the equation, shifting the dynamic significantly in McGregor's favor on paper
- Chimaev's acknowledgment of direct talks with Zuffa Boxing moves this beyond a simple callout and into early negotiation territory
