It started life as an unexpected challenge on Twitter, but now it looks like Justin Bieber‘s UFC showdown with Tom Cruise could actually happen.

Last week, Bieber challenged Tom Cruise to test his strength in the UFC Octagon.

I wanna challenge Tom Cruise to fight in the octagon. Tom if you dont take this fight your scared and you will never live it down. Who is willing to put on the fight? @danawhite ? — Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) June 10, 2019

Despite a discernible lack of bad blood between the pop giant and the screen icon, Bieber issued the bizarre challenge online and even tried to catch the attention of UFC boss Dana White to secure the bout.

While Bieber has since backtracked and said that Cruise has the “dad strength” that would allow him to “whoop my ass”, the prospect isn’t dead in the water.

According to TMZ, White has received confirmation from Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, that the singer is indeed open to stepping into the octagon. However, there needs to be mutual interest on Cruise’s side.

Damn Tom this didn’t go as planned https://t.co/C2cXfVHZyM — Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) June 10, 2019

To that end, entertainment mogul Ari Emanuel, whose firm William Morris Endeavor owns UFC, reportedly told Braun that he thinks Cruise is equally fascinated by the idea.

Dana White has also previously said he thinks that a fight between the two would be “the easiest fight to promote in the history of my career.”

While it’s unclear who would emerge victorious between the pair, it’s worth noting that Cruise is well known for performing all his own death-defying stunts. Bieber was previously punched by Orlando Bloom during a fight in Ibiza.

Meanwhile, Bieber broke his own self-imposed hiatus last month to release a new single with Ed Sheeran. The pair have teamed up on ‘I Don’t Care’, marking their second collaboration after Sheeran wrote ‘Love Yourself’ from Bieber’s 2015 album ‘Purpose’. It features on Sheeran’s forthcoming ‘No.6 Collaborations Project’, which is set to arrive in July.

Cruise will next be seen in the anticipated Top Gun: Maverick, a direct sequel to the 1986 movie. It is set for release in 2020.