Justin Bieber backtracks on Tom Cruise fight proposal: 'He’d whoop my a**'

Justin Bieber has backtracked on his plan to fight Tom Cruise, dismissing the proposal as “a random tweet”.

Bieber floated the idea of what could have been the match of the century earlier this week, challenging Cruise to get in the Octagon with him in a UFC fight.

But the Canadian singer has now retracted his offer, revealing it was a joke tweet, and admitting Hollywood hotshot Cruise would probably “whoop his a**” in the ring.

“I’d seen an interview with him and he was just on my mind,” Bieber told TMZ. “I don’t know why. … It was just a random tweet. I do that stuff sometimes.

“I’d have to get in some good shape. I think he’d probably be out of my weight class. He’d whoop my a**.”

On Monday, Bieber had invited the Mission Impossible actor to join him in the ring and started the search for a promoter – with Conor McGregor offering to help out

Bieber wrote: “I wanna challenge Tom Cruise to fight in the octagon. Tom if you don’t take this fight you’re scared and you will never live it down.

“Who is willing to put on the fight? @danawhite?”

Irish champion McGregor offered to host the bout “if Cruise was man enough to accept the challenge” and prove he “had the sprouts to fight” like he so often does on the big screen.

Cruise, 56, never responded to the now-rescinded invitation, but can be safely reassured he won’t be facing the 25-year-old singer in the ring.

After his tweet, Bieber attracted invitations to fight from elsewhere over Twitter – including reality star Joey Essex.

Essex, who shot to fame on TOWIE, claimed Cruise would be too “old” to take on the fight, before throwing his hat into the ring.

He then mocked Bieber, writing: “If you don’t take this fight you’re scared and will never live it down.

“Who is willing to put on the fight @danawhite ? @EddieHearn ? @TheNotoriousMMA ? #USAvUK.”

Bieber has yet to comment on that particular invite.