{"id":630364,"date":"2025-09-16T16:14:30","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T15:14:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=630364"},"modified":"2025-09-16T16:14:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T15:14:39","slug":"terence-crawford-vs-ilia-topuria-ufc-champion-explains-why-fight-terence-crawford-rejects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/terence-crawford-vs-ilia-topuria-ufc-champion-explains-why-fight-terence-crawford-rejects\/","title":{"rendered":"Terence Crawford vs. Ilia Topuria? UFC Champion Explains Why He Wants the Fight \u2013 Terence Crawford Rejects it as \u2018Clout-chase\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ilia Topuria publicly threw down the gauntlet after Terence Crawford&rsquo;s seismic win over Canelo Alvarez, saying he would <em>&ldquo;put Crawford to sleep&rdquo; <\/em>if the two met in a boxing ring. However, the 42-0 undisputed champion isn&rsquo;t entertaining the callout. At the postfight press conference, he dismissed Topuria as <em>&ldquo;drunk.&rdquo;<\/em> Crawford&rsquo;s Las Vegas triumph vaulted him into modern-era history as an undisputed titlist in three weight classes, and the bout&rsquo;s fallout included both retirement chatter and a fresh, cross-discipline provocation from the UFC&rsquo;s knockout artist.&nbsp;<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ilia Topuria continues to call out Terence Crawford <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Rc3DdUm5qp\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/Rc3DdUm5qp<\/a><\/p>&mdash; MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MMAFighting\/status\/1967954564621144137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>September 16, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Topuria Wants to Fight Crawford<\/h2><p>Topuria, 28, has built a reputation as one of MMA&rsquo;s most ruthless finishers, capturing featherweight and lightweight titles with highlight-reel knockouts. Most recently, Topuria said in the New Economic Forum in Madrid that, <em>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s becoming increasingly difficult for me to answer what my next step is. First I wanted to be a world champion, then beat another legend in the division, and then i set a goal to move up in weight and become a double world champion. Now what? I don&rsquo;t know, maybe a boxing match. I want the best. The best pound-for-pound is Terrence Crawford, so I want to go for him.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ilia Topuria explains why he wants to go into boxing &#129354; and fight Terence Crawford<br><br>\"It's becoming increasingly difficult for me to answer what my next step is. First, I wanted to be a world champion, then beat another legend in the division, and then I set a goal to move up in&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yejOAV05t4\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/yejOAV05t4<\/a><\/p>&mdash; MMA Pros Pick (@MMA_PROS_PICK_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MMA_PROS_PICK_\/status\/1967903756239986824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>September 16, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>For him, chasing Crawford is about proving his power translates across combat sports, raising his star power, and responding to what he views as disrespect. He took exception to Crawford&rsquo;s ring-walk on Saturday night to <em>&ldquo;Cancion del Mariachi,&rdquo;<\/em> a track Topuria has long used for his own Octagon entrances. <em>&ldquo;First he calls me drunk, then he walks out to MY song,&rdquo;<\/em> Topuria posted on X. <em>&ldquo;Crawford, whenever you want, I&rsquo;ll teach you how to dance that mariachi in the ring. And Canelo, I&rsquo;ll save you a round after him.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p><p>Now, given the lucrative history of UFC-boxing crossovers, most famously Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor, Topuria sees an opportunity to cash in while building his reputation beyond MMA.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">First he calls me drunk&hellip; then he walks out to MY song. Crawford, whenever you want, I&rsquo;ll teach you how to dance that mariachi in the ring. And Canelo, I&rsquo;ll save you a round after him.<\/p>&mdash; Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Topuriailia\/status\/1967171677403697267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>September 14, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Crawford Brushes It Off<\/h2><p>Crawford recently doubled down during an appearance on &lsquo;The Ariel Helwani Show.&rsquo; <em>&ldquo;I definitely think he&rsquo;s trying to clout-chase,&rdquo; <\/em>Crawford said.<em> &ldquo;I definitely think he would get in the ring with me for the fight check. That&rsquo;s what we all do it for, but at the same time, I don&rsquo;t know what the f&mdash; he&rsquo;s doing. I don&rsquo;t know what he&rsquo;s thinking. I would &mdash; there ain&rsquo;t even nothing to talk about.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p><p>Crawford also called out Topuria&rsquo;s behavior in person versus online. <em>&ldquo;When he saw me at the UFC, he came up to shake my hand and say what&rsquo;s up to me. I ain&rsquo;t even know who he was,&rdquo;<\/em> Crawford recalled. <em>&ldquo;But then I see him online talking about how he&rsquo;ll knock me out in the first round. If you wanted to fight me, you had the opportunity to tell me&hellip; That&rsquo;s fake.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Terence Crawford fires back at Ilia Topuria:<br><br>\"When he saw me at the UFC and came up to shake my hand and said what's up to me&hellip; I didn't even know who he was. Then I see him online talking about how he'll knock me out in the first round&hellip; That's fake. I'm not gonna go hide&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ausGr3Oulg\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/ausGr3Oulg<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/arielhelwani\/status\/1967663010287325199?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>September 15, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No McGregor Comparison<\/h2><p>Crawford snapped at comparisons to McGregor&rsquo;s 2017 spectacle with Mayweather. <em>&ldquo;What money would I get out of fighting him? Tell me how much I&rsquo;m going to get,&rdquo;<\/em> Crawford said. <em>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s nowhere near on the level of Conor McGregor. Let&rsquo;s be real. Stop it. Don&rsquo;t even compare him to Conor.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p><p>He admitted he hasn&rsquo;t even seen Topuria fight. <em>&ldquo;Maybe I&rsquo;m slipping. Maybe he&rsquo;s a good fighter. I don&rsquo;t know. But I&rsquo;ve honestly never seen this guy fight,&rdquo;<\/em> Crawford said. <em>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t ever try to say they&rsquo;re on the same level.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Terence Crawford shuts the door on boxing &ldquo;fake&rdquo; UFC champ Ilia Topuria &#9996;&#65039; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6UR6ghJdxF\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/6UR6ghJdxF<\/a><\/p>&mdash; MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MMAJunkie\/status\/1967698506963116072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>September 15, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>At the moment, Crawford seems more focused on either retirement or legacy-defining boxing bouts. But with Topuria doubling down and the allure of crossover paydays looming, the storyline isn&rsquo;t going away anytime soon.<\/p><p><em>Mandatory Image Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UFC champ Topuria calls out Crawford, who dismisses fight talks. Everything about it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":630365,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1783],"tags":[1963,2373,1983],"class_list":["post-630364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mma","tag-ilia-topuria","tag-terence-crawford","tag-ufc"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Terence Crawford vs. Ilia Topuria? UFC Champion Explains Why He Wants the Fight &ndash; Terence Crawford Rejects it as &lsquo;Clout-chase&rsquo; - The Playoffs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore why Ilia Topuria wants Terence Crawford and find out how the boxing legend reacted after his historic win over Canelo Alvarez.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/terence-crawford-vs-ilia-topuria-ufc-champion-explains-why-fight-terence-crawford-rejects\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Terence Crawford vs. Ilia Topuria? 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