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Islam Makhachev would pursue a boxing match against Conor McGregor.
The UFC welterweight king is at the top of his game right now. Handily beating many of the top contenders, the wrestler has rightfully earned his pound-for-pound #1 status and greatest of all timetalks. Expecting to return to the UFC soon, Makhachev has called for potential title defenses against Carlos Prates and Michael Morales, but his focus isn’t solely on the octagon.
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Presented with the possibility of fighting Conor McGregor in a boxing ring, Islam Makhachev jumped at the opportunity. Unconvinced by McGregor’s ability, Makhachev insisted that the Irishman is only dangerous in the early rounds, saying:
“Well, if I say Conor is not dangerous at all, that would be wrong. Well, dangerous, yes. In the first round, maybe. But after that, I don’t think he has any chances.”
Cardio has been a glaring problem in McGregor’s arsenal since his rise in the UFC. If he is unable to knock his opponent out in the earlier rounds, which he did quite often, he would struggle when the bout reaches the latter stages. Nate Diaz dragged him to deep waters, beating him once and almost again in their rematch. Khabib Nurmagomedov did the same, implementing a grapple-heavy game plan that wore the Dublin native down.
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Islam Makhachev believes he would likely do the same if he ever fought Conor McGregor. But instead of welcoming him into the cage, Makhachev has delved into the prospect of facing McGregor in the boxing ring.
“I don’t know the fees in boxing. They pay very good money,” Makhachev added. “I don’t know, honestly. Regardless of the purse, I would take a boxing match. Specifically against Conor, yes. Not against an Olympic boxing champion.”
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Listen to Islam Makhachev’s comments about Conor McGregor in the video below.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 2:00 PM.