Ilia Topuria called out Terence Crawford again after Crawford used Topuria’s UFC walkout song, Canción del Mariachi by Antonio Banderas and Los Lobos from the 1995 film Desperado, for his ring entrance before defeating Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision on September 13, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Topuria, the former UFC featherweight and reigning lightweight champion, recently challenged Crawford, vowing to “put him to sleep” in a boxing ring. Crawford responded by calling Topuria “drunk.” Topuria’s Twitter post on September 14, 2025, renewed the callout for a crossover fight. Topuria, ranked number one pound-for-pound in MMA, holds a 17-0 record, with seven knockouts and five submissions. Crawford, number two pound-for-pound in boxing, is 42-0 after winning the WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF super middleweight titles.
Topuria’s Callout Escalates with Song Dispute
Topuria posted on Twitter after Crawford’s win, writing:
“First he calls me drunk… then he walks out to MY song. Crawford, whenever you want, I’ll teach you how to dance that mariachi in the ring. And Canelo, I’ll save you a round after him.”
First he calls me drunk… then he walks out to MY song. Crawford, whenever you want, I’ll teach you how to dance that mariachi in the ring. And Canelo, I’ll save you a round after him.
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) September 14, 2025
The tweet followed Crawford’s victory over Alvarez. Topuria has used Canción del Mariachi for his UFC walkouts since his 2019 debut, making Crawford’s choice a clear taunt.
At WOW FC, Topuria discussed his boxing ambition, saying:
“It’s something I want to do, and I don’t think [Dana White] will tell me he doesn’t want to help me achieve my dream… I’ll have his support, I have no doubt about that. It’ll take some convincing, but I’m sure it’ll work out.” He believes UFC CEO Dana White will back a crossover fight, following past MMA-boxing events.
Ilia Topuria believes he’ll be able to convince Dana White to let him box 👀
“It’s something I want to do, and I don’t think [Dana] will tell me he doesn’t want to help me achieve my dream…
I’ll have his support, I have no doubt about that. It’ll take some convincing, but I’m… pic.twitter.com/VEPmwX4LpA
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 14, 2025
Topuria’s latest win was a first-round knockout over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 on June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas, earning him the UFC lightweight championship.
Topuria’s callout builds on MMA-boxing crossover history. In 2017, Conor McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather, losing by 10th-round TKO but earning $100 million with 4.3 million pay-per-view buys.
