Ilia Topuria Follows Conor McGregor’s Playbook and Plants Seed for Terence Crawford Superfight

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria tries to take Conor McGregor's path to pursue a boxing superstar like Terence Crawford.

Ilia Topuria Follows Conor McGregor’s Playbook and Plants Seed for Terence Crawford Superfight

Ilia Topuria gets compared to Conor McGregor following his callout against Terence Crawford (via X)

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Ilia Topuria has rapidly become one of the UFC’s most entertaining fighters, delivering incredible performances that captivated global MMA fans. His recent victory over Charles Oliveira to secure the lightweight championship elevated him to the men’s pound-for-pound number one ranking. Despite fans awaiting his first title defence, the fighter has different plans, similar to Conor McGregor. 

Topuria recently posted a picture shaking hands with undefeated multi-division boxing champion Terence Crawford, exciting both boxing and MMA fans. In his caption, the UFC champion playfully asked followers who would win between himself and Crawford in a competitive fight. Following that intriguing post, Topuria has now offered his personal prediction regarding the possible outcome of him boxing Crawford.

I won’t talk about what would happen between me and Crawford in an octagon, I’ll talk about what would happen in a ring. I put him to sleep in the first contact !!

Ilia Topuria via X 

Following the post, many fans compared ‘El Matador’ to McGregor, who fought Floyd Mayweather in a massive crossover boxing event. That blockbuster boxing match became a historic success, breaking several major pay-per-view records worldwide and generating approximately $600 million in revenue.

Topuria has previously been accused of copying McGregor, from his tattoos to his notorious, flamboyant trash-talking personality and promotional style. Similar to ‘Mystic Mac,’ Topuria is a knockout artist who has impressively captured UFC championship belts in two separate divisions. Now, it appears he wants to pursue similar crossover success in boxing, beginning with a potential mega fight against Crawford.

‘Bud’ is currently undefeated and is scheduled to face Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez this Saturday in boxing’s biggest event of 2024. The fight is promoted by UFC CEO Dana White for his inaugural TKO boxing event alongside Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh.

Considering White’s newest boxing venture, arranging a potential crossover boxing match between Topuria and Crawford would not be difficult. However, since the McGregor-Mayweather spectacle, Dana White has frequently denied UFC stars permission to pursue lucrative opportunities in professional boxing.

Ilia Topuria gets warned by top lightweight contender 

Apart from the boxing drama, Ilia Topuria’s greatest challenge remains elite lightweight contenders, all desperate for a championship opportunity soon. Among them, Paddy Pimblett holds momentum due to his personal rivalry with Topuria and their already publicized intense face-off. While fans enjoyed the bad blood, Dana White disapproved, and no next lightweight title bout has been finalized.

Ilia Topuria gets warned by Paddy Pimblett
Ilia Topuria gets warned by Paddy Pimblett (via X)

Pimblett is currently ranked #7 in the lightweight division, and there are other fighters who are in front of him in the line. The UK native understands this, but is still training hard in order to fight the pound-for-pound king. In his recent YouTube video, he discussed using his grappling skills to dominate the new champion in a potential fight. 

I’ve got to get that striking timing better if I’m fighting ‘El Chorizo’. That’s a lot of what I’m going to work on. But my grappling always feels phenomenal. When I get people on the floor, they don’t get up, lad. I smother people. Like Khamzat against DDP on the weekend. Once I get you down and I’m on top of you, I’m smothering you, lad. You’re not getting up. I’m controlling you. I’m making you feel my weight, and making you feel some shots at the same time.

Paddy Pimblett via YouTube 

As Pimblett mentioned, Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant victory against Dricus Du Plessis was extremely one-sided, showcasing relentless pressure throughout. The ‘Borz’ controlled Du Plessis for over twenty-one minutes and two judges even awarded 50-44 scorecard for the dominant title win.

Despite criticisms of stalling the fight with no action, the Chechen fighter successfully walked away holding the UFC championship. However, unlike Du Plessis, Topuria is widely respected for his grappling, although it remains untested against an elite grappler.

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