Ilia Topuria believes his famed knockout power would be more than enough to handle Terence Crawford.<\/p>\n
Crawford already has a huge fight lined up as he takes on Canelo Alvarez in a boxing superfight this Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The matchup sees the undefeated Crawford (41-0) move up in weight to take on the legendary Canelo (63-2-2), with Alvarez\u2019s undisputed super middleweight championship on the line.<\/p>\n
Topuria recently completed his own successful division change. The former featherweight champion vacated his 145-pound belt to move up to 155 pounds, where he knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 to capture a vacant lightweight title.<\/p>\n
Now, Topuria is setting his sights on Crawford.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t talk about what would happen between me and Crawford in an octagon,\u201d Topuria wrote on Twitter<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ll talk about what would happen in a ring. I put him to sleep in the first contact!\u201d<\/p>\n Though Topuria\u2019s boast might seem over the top, \u201cEl Matador\u201d has no shortage of highlight-reel finishes to his name. He captured the featherweight title with a stunning second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, making him the only man to defeat Volkanovski in a 145-pound contest. Then he followed up by knockout out Max Holloway at UFC 308, the first time Holloway had ever been finished via strikes.<\/p>\n At UFC 317, Topuria scored arguably his most impressive knockout yet when he put Oliveira down in under two and a half minutes.<\/p>\n Topuria is yet to book his first lightweight title defense, but appears to already be angling for a crossover bout with Crawford. On Saturday, he posted an image of him meeting Crawford, along with the caption, \u201cWho wins in a fight?\u201d<\/p>\n Victoire. Nassourdine Imavov was triumphant in his home country<\/a> and might be the new No. 1 contender at 185 pounds.<\/p>\n Mistake? Sean Strickland questions training partner Caio Borralho on cutting weight twice<\/a> for UFC 319 and UFC Paris.<\/p>\n Emotional. From PFL tournament winner to successful UFC debutant, Ante Delija let it all out<\/a> Saturday.<\/p>\n Crazy. In the latest Missed Fists, a fighter face-plants and is saved by the bell<\/a>, then comes back to win in the third round.<\/p>\n Annoyed. Patricio Pitbull is NOT happy with<\/a> Losene Keita missing weight and forcing the cancellation of their UFC Paris clash.<\/p>\n Evolution. Ciryl Gane says he\u2019s ready to grapple<\/a> with Tom Aspinall.<\/p>\n Happy Trails. Paul Craig announced his retirement<\/a> following a tough knockout loss<\/a> to Modestas Bukauskas.<\/p>\n UFC Paris post-fight show.<\/p>\n UFC Paris post-fight press conference.<\/p>\n Check out all the action from a thrilling UFC Paris event.<\/p>\n On to the Next One. Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss whether Nassourdine Imavov did enough to become the No. 1 middleweight contender at UFC Paris. Plus, what\u2019s next for Benoit Saint Denis and Modestas Bukauskas, the perfect matchup for William Gomis, and more.<\/p>\n SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE<\/p>\n Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander homage.<\/p>\n Mateusz Rebecki (20-3) vs. Ludovit Klein (23-5-1); UFC 321, Oct. 25<\/p>\n Canelo vs. Crawford fight week didn\u2019t truly start until an MMA fighter called one of them out.<\/p>\n If you find something you\u2019d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee<\/a> or @JedKMeshew<\/a> on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, and like us on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n