When Gennadiy Golovkin agreed to take on Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov
Back in 2018, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov received an unlikely challenge from two-time unified middleweight boxing champion Gennadiy 'GGG' Golovkin.
When a reporter from TMZ Sports asked if he would be interested in fighting either McGregor or Nurmagomedov in the future, 'GGG' replied:
"These huge guys, yeah. I saw a fight, it was a good fight."
The interviewer then asked Golovkin which MMA star he would rather face. The boxer responded with a simple, one-word answer:
"Both."
Watch the full video below:
Obviously, if the bout was to happen within the rules of boxing, both Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov would struggle to beat the multiple-time world champion. Furthermore, under MMA rules, 'GGG' surprisingly might be able to do better than most would think.
Golovkin trained in wrestling for seven years when he was growing up in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. The boxer is also known to have a fondness for Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo and is said to know various submissions.
This experience clearly wouldn't be enough to match Khabib Nurmagomedov's lifetime of grappling experience in Dagestan. However, against McGregor, Golovkin's wrestling background could somewhat level the playing field in an MMA bout.
The Irishman has struggled against wrestlers and does not have the boxing ability of 'GGG' given his performance against an aging Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their bout in 2017. However, 'Notorious' can always use his potent kicks.
Is Conor McGregor going to rematch Floyd Mayweather Jr.?
The boxing and MMA world has been left stunned after a recent report by FightHype.com announced that Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are in talks to fight again.
The discussions are seemingly going well, with the Irishman taking to Instagram to "accept" the legendary boxer's offer. The two fighters faced off on August 26, 2017, with the American winning via 10th round TKO.
The first fight reportedly brought in over $600 million dollars of revenue, so it's hardly surprising that the duo would want to organize a rematch. As of right now, no date has been set. However, if McGregor's recent social media post is anything to go by, then we are likely very close to seeing Mayweather vs. McGregor 2.
The Irishman last fought against Dustin Poirier in the UFC. He suffered a second straight loss to the American and is yet to return to MMA or boxing.