UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev said he would like Zuffa Boxing to stage a fight between him and Conor McGregor.

Chimaev is scheduled to make the first defense of his title against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on May 9, boasting a 15-0 record in MMA. But he has also found success in specific disciplines, winning three gold medals in freestyle wrestling in Sweden, and also achieving black belt rank in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

However, he revealed during a recent media scrum that he would like to add another discipline, albeit one-off, to the mix should the opportunity arise. 

“I don’t know. Probably would be Zuffa Boxing with Conor [McGregor],” he replied when asked what else is on the cards. “Maybe that one, just box 12 rounds.”

He clarified it wouldn’t be a full-time move, “I will be forever UFC fighter. But maybe if Zuffa gives a chance to box with Conor, or Conor want to accept, that would be nice… Why not?”

“Conor is good boxer,” he added. “One of the best boxer in the UFC. So, would be nice to try, go there, fight that guy. And good money too. He talks better than Sean Strickland, so we’ll be fine.”

McGregor has boxed professionally just the one time in his career thus far, fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr. to a 10th round TKO loss in 2017. His last fight came in 2021, sustaining a broken ankle in a loss to Dustin Poirier. He has been tested nine times with UFC Anti-Doping this year, more than double the next most-tested fighter in the pool, ahead of a touted return to the Octagon.

When John Cena retired from professional wrestling last December at Saturday Night’s Main Event, he smiled in defeat when tapping out to GUNTHER in a sleeper hold. Cena giving the audience a smirk while submitting for the first time in 20 years instantly became one of the most shocking moments in WWE history, and according to WCW legend Kevin Nash, the “Never Seen 17” recently shared additional details on the final moments of his career.

Speaking on “Kliq This,” Nash recalled his one-on-one conversation with Cena, where the former WWE star explained his thought process behind the finish to his match with GUNTHER. That said, although Cena claims he will never step back inside a ring again, Nash believes he would return to WWE for the right price.

“I said, ‘Give me your take on the smile.’ and he said, ‘I wanted to be the first character on an episodic TV that was the good guy that when they killed him off on the program, he was smiling’ … he says ‘Because they know that I will never come back and do this again.’ He says, ‘Let me put it this way. They know what that check would be and they’ll never write that check,”‘ Nash said reflecting on his conversation with Cena. “If they gave me f*****g thirty million to come back next year, I’m sure he’d be in the ring.”

After retiring last year, Cena was given the opportunity to host WrestleMania this year and has now taken on the role of being an ambassador to WWE. At this time, Cena’s next appearance is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, the same day as Backlash, where he has “Something epic” planned for Club WWE.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Kliq This” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Sean Strickland has confirmed the UFC has made attempts to limit his interactions with Khamzat Chimaev ahead of their Middleweight Championship fight on May 9. 

“The UFC is trying to limit my interactions with the dog,” Strickland wrote to X. “Listen I will say this now. I will not be controlled by a third world dog… If I find there is unequal treatment between our camps I will walk to the lobby and wait for him. Control your wh*** or don’t. I don’t care. Let the chips fall where they may this is America.”

Replying to comments under his original post, Strickland said: “The fight week will be me in handcuffs. The fact there is this goat f***er who shouldn’t even be allowed to be in America making threats. You think I give a flying f*** about some stupid goat f***er.”

He added to another comment, “Let’s be honest if he doesn’t have a group of friends he’s a b****.”

Chimaev had taken a more relaxed approach to his latest media scrum when addressing Strickland’s words. But it did very little to stave the animosity on his challenger’s side. 

“This is why you are a coward,” Strickland reacted to his comments. “We will jump you, my Muslim friends will jump you. You might live in America but you have no idea what it’s like to be an American or a man. If I ever said I’ll jump you, I wouldn’t be able to look myself in the mirror. Coward.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Strickland then engaged with a comment claiming “Islam has no place in America” to say: “They destroy a world better men created.” 

Chimaev opted not to respond directly to Strickland but still got the last word in on X. 

“You can cry that’s okay for your father make you a girl,” he wrote. Strickland has opened up on the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father when he was a child previously.

UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev laughed off Sean Strickland’s latest comments ahead of their title fight on May 9. 

Strickland and Chimaev’s title rivalry has picked up steam of late with the former repeatedly taking issue with the presence of Islamic Europeans on the roster like Chimaev, claiming that UFC was ruining the sport by signing fighters from “third-world countries” and repeatedly labeling him a terrorist and “goat f***er.” 

But Chimaev took that all in his stride when asked about the comments during a media scrum. 

“Clowns always talk. He’s not going to be a clown if he’s quiet,” he said. He was then asked what he thought of Strickland saying he would shoot him if they met on the street. “Bro, he hasn’t shot any chickens in the world, how is he going to shoot a human? I don’t think the guy wants a war outside the cage; if he wanted it, he’d be dead already.”

Chimaev said that he enjoys the trash talking element of the pre-fight game, “That’s my work. I love it. I love the UFC. I love Sean Strickland and what he’s talking about – making a big fight, letting me make money.” 

With UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey, he is confident that he would have the support if push did come to shove. “In New Jersey, this is a Muslim community, it’s my home, so I don’t think he’s going to come out with a gun there. Otherwise, there would be a lot of people in jail because he’s dead.”

He did have one last parting comment to Strickland in the scrum: “Hope you’re going to talk more. It’s funny to listen to this guy.”

Logan Paul is arguably one of the most hated WWE stars today, potentially superseded only by the likes of The Miz or even Dominik Mysterio. However, upon breaking into the industry, Paul never planned to be a heel and was rubbed the wrong way by the fan response.

“The WWE fans booed me, and I was p***ed,” Paul exclaimed during an appearance on “What’s Your Story?” but was assured by host Stephanie McMahon that everyone in production loved it. “I didn’t realize that was the currency.”

Logan then recounted how Bruce Prichard praised the segment afterward, but at the time, he didn’t understand why it was seen as a net positive for him. “I was p***ed!” he recalled. “I was like: ‘Bruce, do they not understand? I will get outta that ring and beat the s**t out of all of them!’ and he was like: ‘What are you talking about, bro? Calm down!’ and then I realized: that’s my power,” Logan added.

“I feel weird when people cheer,” he added when McMahon asked whether the boos still upset him, which led the two to find some common ground, as McMahon also expressed that getting cheered by crowds makes her feel awkward after decades of being a heel. “I think the moment where I realized how awesome it was to pour salt in the wound and be the bad guy actually happened at my first WrestleMania.” 

Paul recalled that doing Eddie Guerrero’s signature top rope taunt before hitting Rey Mysterio with a Frog Splash gave him a massive amount of heat, and in that moment, it finally clicked for him.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “What’s Your Story? With Steph McMahon” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.