Mixed martial arts is reaching bigger audiences than ever through the UFC and Amir Khan thinks he can help the combat sport grow even more, through a team-based competition in Britain.
The Bolton boxer said he is launching the Super Fight League, where eight teams from around Britain compete in a league format, in 2017.
“The market is massive for us. We want to reach countries like India with a population of 1.2 billion people,” he told the BBC.
Conor McGregor has helped take UFC to new heights and is very aware of the fact – telling the UFC’s new owners, who purchased the company for $4 billion, that he wanted a stake. Khan feels there could be similar benefits for him.
“MMA is big and getting bigger,” he said. “Fighters like Conor McGregor are making a lot of noise. MMA is hitting some high numbers on pay per view.”
There’s definitely a thirst for MMA right now, so it could be a smart move for the 30-year-old. And if it happens, it’s an exciting one too.