Overview
- On a livestream with Adin Ross, Shakur Stevenson invited UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria to a boxing match, saying, "Tell him to come fight me."
- Terence Crawford backed Stevenson’s stance by declaring the UFC will never surpass boxing and later rebuked Joaquin Buckley online after the UFC welterweight threatened Stevenson.
- A sanctioned Stevenson–Topuria bout faces major hurdles, including a 140-to-155 pound size gap and UFC chief Dana White’s post-McGregor reluctance to approve crossovers.
- Topuria is expected to return in June at the UFC White House card for a lightweight title unification with interim champion Justin Gaethje, and his coach predicted a first-exchange knockout.
- Islam Makhachev signaled he is ready to face Topuria at the White House event, introducing an alternative superfight possibility to Gaethje’s anticipated matchup.