Conor Benn would have ‘no problem’ fighting Ilia Topuria or any other UFC fighter in the ring.
Benn, 28, is back in the gym as he prepares to begin another training camp to fight Chris Eubank Jr for the second time.
Eubank Jr outpointed Benn in one of Britain’s biggest boxing spectacles in April and the pair are set renew their bitter rivalry in three months time.
Both men will contest a rematch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on November 15 after an original plan to meet on September 20 collapsed.
In a video posted on his social media channels, Benn was seen flaunting his power on a punching bag and the London man had some interesting things to say.
“If any of these f***ing UFC fighters want to come over to boxing,” Benn explained.
“Or any of these MMA lot want to come over to boxing, if you fancy somebody, you can come and get it…nasty.”
Benn then said he could be converted to bare-knuckle boxing for the cheap price of just £10million, before calling out UFC lightweight champion Topuria.
“F***ing bare-knuckle, bare-knuckle,” he added. “10 bar. Sign me up, I’ll fight anybody bare-knuckle.
“If anyone wants to come over from the UFC. I see a lot of talk about Ilia Topuria. Ilia, I’ve got these hands, brother.
“Anybody wants this smoke, anybody who wants to come over, no problem.”
Benn would, however, only be game to face an MMA fighter strictly in the squared circle.
“Listen, I ain’t stupid enough to go in the cage,” the 28-year-old concluded.
“I would never go in the cage, you’ll never catch me getting into the cage.
“Do you know why? Because then I’d get my a** handed to me, but for them to think they can come over and do that to us…that’s a f***ing liberty.”
Who has Ilia Topuria fought in the UFC?
Topuria is the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, having knocked out Charles Oliveira in his last fight to win the lightweight title.
‘El Matador’ is undefeated in 17 professional MMA fights and it took him just seven fights to win gold in Dana White‘s promotion.
He finished Alexander Volkanovski in one round to win the featherweight title at UFC 298 in February 2024.
Ilia Topuria's UFC Record
Nine wins, zero defeats
- Def. Charles Oliveira via first-round KO/TKO at UFC 317 in June 2025 (won UFC lightweight title)
- Def. Max Holloway via third-round KO/TKO at UFC 308 in October 2024 (defended UFC featherweight title)
- Def. Alexander Volkanovski via second-round KO/TKO at UFC 298 in February 2024 (won UFC featherweight title)
- Def. Josh Emmett via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night in June 2023
- Def. Bryce Mitchell via second-round submission at UFC 282 in December 2022
- Def. Jai Herbert via second-round KO/TKO at UFC Fight Night in March 2022
- Def. Ryan Hall via first-round KO/TKO at UFC 264 in July 2021
- Def. Damon Jackson via first-round KO/TKO at UFC Fight Night in December 2020
- Def. Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night in October 2020
Eight months later, the 28-year-old handed Max Holloway the first stoppage defeat of his career to retain the belt, before moving up a division and doing the same to Oliveira
Conor McGregor remains the only fighter to have transitioned to boxing at the peak of his powers in the UFC.
He was stopped by Floyd Mayweather in the 10th round of their 2017 bout, which generated more than $600m and sold over 4.3m PPVs.
Topuria has previously admitted that he once looked up to McGregor at the beginning of his MMA career.
So, it would be no surprise to see the Georgian-born Spanish fighter make a similar move to his former idol and box Benn.
Benn vs Topuria would nonetheless provide a significant payday for both men and signal another significant chapter in the crossover boxing world.