‘The Destroyer’ has clearly had enough of UFC fighters thinking that they can hang with elite boxers.
With Dana White set to promote Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford next month, there has been talk of how MMA could crossover with boxing now that the UFC CEO is involved in both.
While we’ve seen former UFC fighters like Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal swap the Octagon for the ring in recent times, we’ve not seen the two worlds collide all that much aside from Conor McGregor facing Floyd Mayweather Jr.
A star as big as the UFC’s current lightweight champion could change that, given the huge goals that he has for his career.
There may have been some talks about Ilia Topuria potentially facing Alvarez but now ‘El Matador’ has received a call out from a different boxing star.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCConor Benn calls out Ilia Topuria and other UFC fighters who believe they can compete with top boxers
Anyone who has watched Conor Benn in any capacity will already know that the 28-year-old boxing star is an intense individual who speaks his mind.
This is once again the case in a recent video that Benn put out via his social media platforms where in between getting changed and hitting the bag, he issued a statement.
Benn spoke about UFC fighters who believe that they can compete with top boxers and how he’s happy to welcome them to the ring and prove them wrong.
He specifically mentioned Ilia Topuria when issuing an open challenge to anyone who wants to come and try to test themselves.
“Whoever these f—— UFC fighters want to come over to boxing, dangerous game… Any of these MMA lot want to come over to boxing, if you fancy somebody, you can come and get it. Nasty… Bare knuckle, anyone wants to come over from the UFC… Ilia Topuria, I’ve got these hands brother. Disrespect us boxers, you’re all getting it.”
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Towards the end of the video, Benn was honest when admitting that he has absolutely no right stepping into the Octagon with a UFC fighter, but clearly he believes that this goes both ways.
“Listen, I ain’t stupid enough to go in the cage. I would never go in the cage. You won’t catch me dead in the cage, do you know why? Because then I’d get my a– handed to me. But for them thinking they can come over and do that to us, that’s a f—— liberty.”
Conor Benn calls out Ilia Topuria to a boxing match 👀
“Whoever these f***ing UFC fighters want to come over to boxing, dangerous game… Ilia Topuria, I got these hands brother…
I ain’t stupid enough to go in the cage. I would never go in the cage.”
🎥 @ConorNigel #UFC… pic.twitter.com/DIAejTTLIT
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 7, 2025
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Conor Benn has a massive fight in front of him that could define his legacy
While Conor Benn may be looking to test a UFC fighter that wants to step through the ropes with him, he has other priorities to focus on right now.
The Brit recently expressed concerns that his heated rematch with Chris Eubank Jr wasn’t going to happen due to his former opponent not coming to terms.
Ring Magazine recently announced that the fight is now set for November, meaning it has been pushed back two months from the originally planned date, which Benn reacted to via social media.
“I was ready in September but I’ll be even more ready for November. See you soon.”
Benn lost his undefeated record when they first met this past April in one of the best fights of the year.