'McGregor, Khabib – I'm ready': Social media sensation 'Salt Bae' calls out fight game's biggest stars (VIDEO)
by RT
‘McGregor, Khabib – I’m ready’: Social media sensation ‘Salt Bae’ calls out fight game’s biggest stars (VIDEO)
He is perhaps better known for his seasoning prowess but ‘Salt Bae’ Nusret Gokce says that he is ready to accept the challenge of fighting the UFC’s biggest stars – if Dana White comes calling.
You might want to take this one with a pinch of salt, but ‘Salt Bae’ – the internet sensation chef who went viral for, among other reasons, the manner in which he salts his beef – says that he is more-than-willing to transfer his skills from the kitchen to the UFC’s octagon.
Gokce’s 15 minutes of fame certainly show no sign of elapsing after a photograph of him preparing meat at one of the chain of steakhouses he operates became a meme and went viral, and now Gokce says that the time may have come for him to ascend to the next level of fame.
Speaking exclusively to RT Sport and asked who he would like to fight if he was to enter the combat sports arena, he gave a simple answer.
“McGregor, Khabib, everybody,” he said. “I am ready. I have respect for them, but if one day they invite me I’m ready for fighting.”
While it may seem like a flight of fancy for the 36-year-old chef, Gokce does have a background forged inside a boxing ring.
“I started boxing 20 years ago for [Turkish team] Fenerbahce. I was the number two [-ranked fighter] in Istanbul, but 20 years ago.”
//www.instagram.com/p/BvleYLSAWbv
Nowadays, Gokce says that the only sport he does is to maintain his physique but would be willing to entertain being punched in the face, so long as the price is right.
“I’m training. I’m always ready,” he explained. “Maybe UFC invites me one day – I’m fighting.”
