Islam Makhachev Eyes Boxing Match with Conor McGregor
Islam Makhachev already rules the UFC cage. Now he’s eyeing the ring.
The reigning UFC welterweight champion and current No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter has admitted he’s genuinely intrigued by the idea of swapping four-ounce gloves for ten and boxing Conor McGregor — the sport’s most bankable star, even as his results have dipped.
On MMA terms, the matchup makes little sense right now. McGregor is coming off multiple losses and sits miles away from a welterweight title shot. But strip away the kicks, the clinch, the takedowns, and the conversation changes. A boxing ring, not an Octagon, is where Makhachev sees a different kind of showdown.
“Regardless of the purse, I’d box Conor”
Speaking to Ushatayka, Makhachev didn’t bother dressing it up. He believes a boxing match with McGregor would be 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.
No talk of negotiating points, no careful dance around the money. For a fighter at his level, that’s a rare stance. The intrigue for Makhachev clearly isn’t just financial; it’s the chance to test himself in McGregor’s preferred realm and, in his mind, dismantle him there too.
McGregor, of course, has already dipped a toe — or rather, his entire persona — into elite boxing. His 2017 bout with Floyd Mayweather ended in predictable defeat, but it cemented him as a crossover figure who can drag any combat sport spectacle into the mainstream.
A promoter’s dream… on paper
Would Dana White actually book it?
Inside the UFC, Makhachev vs. McGregor doesn’t add up. The rankings, the recent form, the divisional logjam — none of it supports McGregor jumping straight into a title fight with the most dominant fighter in the sport.
Boxing is another world.
Under a Zuffa Boxing banner or a similar promotional vehicle, White would be selling something different: the best MMA fighter on the planet against the biggest MMA superstar in a pure striking contest. From a business standpoint, it almost writes its own marketing campaign.
In an MMA fight, the script feels straightforward. Makhachev’s elite grappling, suffocating control, and complete game would make him a heavy favorite. Almost everyone would pick him to win, and win convincingly.
Take away the wrestling, though, and the margins narrow. In a boxing ring, McGregor doesn’t have to worry about level changes or clinch trips. He can plant his feet, measure distance, and hunt for that left hand he’s built a career on.
Power vs. precision
Makhachev will never be billed as a pure striker first, grappler second, but that undersells how sharp he has become on the feet. His timing, composure, and shot selection have evolved to the point where he can hold his own in stand-up exchanges with world-class opposition.
Against McGregor in a boxing match, he would need every bit of that growth.
McGregor still carries genuine knockout power. Even with the miles on the clock and the losses on his record, the Irishman’s left hand remains a threat that can flip any fight in an instant. In a boxing-only contest, that “puncher’s chance” becomes the central hook: can McGregor land clean before Makhachev’s pressure, conditioning, and discipline break him down?
Makhachev, for his part, sounds convinced the answer is no. Dangerous early, doomed late — that’s his read on McGregor with big gloves and no takedowns.
Fantasy fight, or something more?
Right now, the smart money says this matchup never leaves the realm of speculation. The UFC has its own schedule, its own champions to keep busy, its own divisions to move along. Boxing crossovers remain rare, complicated, and politically messy.
Still, the idea lingers.
The most complete fighter in MMA history’s current era, stepping into a ring to face the man who dragged the sport into pop culture’s front window. No kicks. No takedowns. Just hands, ego, and risk.
If that ever gets a date and a venue, the combat sports world won’t look away.
