'I'm the Conor McGregor of entertainment': Justin Bieber doubles down on UFC challenge to Tom Cruise

A potential battle between A-listers Justin Bieber and Tom Cruise has once again reared its head after the pop star repeated his challenge to the Hollywood star to face him inside the UFC's octagon.

Bieber, 25, made the initial challenge to Cruise on social media in the summer of last year in a move that attracted the interest of UFC boss Dana White, who called the potential match-up "the easiest fight to promote in the history of my career." 

The bizarre callout seemingly came out of nowhere, with no apparent bad blood existing between the two superstars. Reports at the time suggested that Ari Emanuel, whose firm Endeavor owns a controlling stake in the UFC, told Bieber's manager Scooter Braun that there was interest from Cruise's side.

Bieber did backtrack somewhat soon after, saying that Cruise's "dad strength" would allow him to "whoop" him but when the issue was once again raised by chat show host James Corden, Bieber once again signaled his own interest in the fight.

He said that the first callout was him "just being stupid" before he stated, "Do you know what? That [the fight] could actually be funny."

Bieber, who has undertaken boxing training in the past, described himself as "dangerous" before outlining exactly how he sees his role in the entertainment landscape.

"My mind control is another specimen, I’m different," Bieber elaborated. "I'm the Conor McGregor of entertainment."