Ilia Topuria is at his wits’ end with boxers continuing to ‘put down’ MMA fighters without stepping into the cage. ‘El Matador’ has been on a run lately, chasing a super fight with Terence Crawford, and as a result, the boxing world was quick to stomp out any ambition.
MMA fighters have had a notoriously bad streak in boxing, with many UFC stars losing to Jake Paul, and most recently, the lineal UFC champion Francis Ngannou losing twice in a row — albeit with a strong performance against Tyson Fury.
While he’s keen to break this trend, Topuria isn’t afraid to point out the double standard coming from the pugilist crowd.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
The lightweight champion controversially remarked that he’d knock out Crawford in the first round. ‘Bud’ replied, “He must’ve been on that alcohol that day.”
Speaking at the WOW 22 presser on Thursday, Topuria addressed Crawford’s response.
“I have no opinion on [Crawford’s response],” Topuria explained [h/t Marca]. “Whenever he wants to measure himself, whenever he wants to test his technique and skills, I’m here to show him.
“What bothers me lately is that a lot of boxers come out, interfere with our game, criticize us and try to put us down. The truth is there are many MMA athletes who have tried going into boxing to test their skills.
“But I don’t know many of the boxers that talk so much that have actually tested themselves in MMA. But in any case, whoever wants it, I’m here.”
Topuria devuelve el mensaje a Crawford: “No hay muchos boxeadores que hayan intentado venir a nuestro deporte” 👀 pic.twitter.com/uTb2vHtrR8
— MARCA (@marca) September 11, 2025
The saying, ‘Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one,’ rings true when it comes to boxing vs. MMA. Boxing is just one of many tools an MMA fighter uses in their fights, so it’s going to be relatively underdeveloped compared to a professional boxer. While MMA fighters are undoubtedly the better generalist fighters, they struggle when their tools are taken away.
Pair this with stylistic inadequacies, like low hands to avoid takedowns, stiff hips, and lack of head movement to avoid knees and head kicks, and poor footwork to avoid takedowns, and an MMA fighter is at a major disadvantage.
MMAKO’s Mat Riddle discusses this in-depth on The Fight Fanatic.
Yes, fighters like Ray Mercer are prime examples of boxers who made a successful jump. He knocked out ex-heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in nine seconds in their MMA fight in 2008.
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