One boxing star has been told he’s biting off more than he can chew after calling out UFC champion Ilia Topuria.
Amid Topuria’s two-division success in the UFC, the promotion’s pound-for-pound king was recently called out for a crossover clash by British boxer Conor Benn.
The 23-1 pro lost his undefeated status against Chris Eubank Jr. last time out. As he prepares to return to action, Benn named Topuria while laying down an open challenge to all MMA fighters in a video posted by TNT Sports.
“Whoever these f—— UFC fighters want to come over to boxing, dangerous game,” Benn said. “Any of these MMA lot want to come over to boxing, if you fancy somebody, you can come and get it. Nasty.
“Anyone wants to come over from the UFC…Ilia Topuria, I’ve got these hands brother. Disrespect us boxers, you’re all getting it.”
While MMA fighters have had limited success against career boxers, one Misfits star thinks Topuria would be an exception.
Misfits star Anthony Taylor believes Ilia Topuria would dominate Conor Benn
The crossover craze was set in motion a number of years ago when Conor McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather. Years after the Irishman lost to ‘Money’, plenty of other prominent names in MMA have also fallen short against their counterparts in the ring.
One of the most notable triumphs for MMA was when Anderson Silva upset Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., an ex-WBC champion. And former Bellator fighter-turned-Misfits boxer Anthony Taylor thinks Topuria would join ‘The Spider’ in the winners’ circle by destroying Benn.
“Conor Benn is calling out killers like Ilia Topuria,” Taylor told Plejmo. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but he’s not even won a British boxing title.
“I had to laugh when I heard him mention Ilia’s name,” Taylor continued. “That’s a world champ, bro, something only your daddy would know about. That’s a total mismatch.
“Ilia, with the kind of power he has, knocks Benn out so badly that his daddy in Australia would feel it.”
Anthony Taylor interested in Tony Ferguson fight after losing to Darren Till
Taylor himself is on the hunt for his next assignment in the ring.
The ex-Bellator fighter has not competed since Misfits Boxing 20 this past January, where Taylor was knocked out by Till in the main event.
Having had his four-fight winning run snapped in brutal fashion, ‘Pretty Boy’ has another former UFC star in his sights after what unfolded in Manchester on Saturday.
“I guess it’s Anthony Taylor vs Tony Ferguson,” Taylor wrote on X. “See yah at Misfits 23.”
Ferguson ended his six-year, eight-fight losing skid at Misfits Boxing 22 by stopping TikToker Salt Papi.