Khamzat Chimaev has a UFC title fight staring him in the face, but TMZ Sports says he is already looking at one very loud side quest: boxing Conor McGregor.
The 32-year-old middleweight champion spoke during a workout and media event in Southern California this week, where he was asked what excites him right now.
His answer was not subtle.
"I don't know, probably it would be Zuffa boxing with Conor. Maybe that. We will just box 12 rounds."
That is one way to make a media day move.
Chimaev wants McGregor, but not a boxing career
Chimaev made clear he is not trying to abandon MMA for the ring full time.
"I'm not going to move over to the boxing [permanently]," he said.
Still, he said it would "be nice" to box McGregor, calling the Irish star "one of the best boxers in the UFC."
McGregor has history here. His 2017 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather was one of the biggest commercial fights ever staged, landing in August of that year and pulling in a vast global audience.
So yes, Chimaev versus McGregor would be a money fight. It would also be a very strange one, which is usually where combat sports starts counting the receipts.
UFC 328 comes first
Before any talk of gloves, rounds and crossover spectacle can get serious, Chimaev has business in the cage.
He is set to face Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in Newark on Saturday, with the fight now just one week away.
The build-up has already turned sharp. TMZ Sports asked Chimaev about the tension between the two, and the outlet described his response as ominous.
That is not exactly a cooling statement heading into fight week.
Rountree backs a move to 205
Chimaev is also preparing with light heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree, who was at the same gym when TMZ Sports visited.
Chimaev began his UFC run at 170 pounds, then climbed to 185, where he now holds the middleweight crown. The obvious next question is whether he could go even higher.
Rountree, who competes at 205 pounds, said Chimaev could make that jump. If he does, Rountree suggested the rest of the light heavyweight division would have a serious problem.
That is not a small endorsement from someone who lives in that weight class.
Brendan Allen weighs in on Strickland
Brendan Allen was also in the building. He has shared the cage with Strickland before, so his view carries some context.
With the trash talk between Chimaev and Strickland escalating, Allen told TMZ Sports that Strickland is all talk.
The talking portion is nearly done. In seven days, Chimaev and Strickland get the less forgiving version of the conversation.
