Alex Pereira's coach says Ilia Topuria could surpass Conor McGregor in potential crossover from MMA to boxing
Plinio Cruz believes that Ilia Topuria can leave an even greater mark in a possible MMA-to-boxing crossover than UFC megastar Conor McGregor did.
Ilia Topuria has received words of high praise from former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira's longtime coach, Plinio Cruz.
The mixed martial arts trainer appears to have echoed the sentiments of many fans and experts in the combat sports community -- hailing Topuria as one of the best boxers in MMA.
Alex Pereira's coach, Plinio Cruz, feels Ilia Topuria could do better than Conor McGregor in boxing
UFC icons Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira recently made waves in the combat sports community by training with each other. In a recent appearance on Cortes do Connect Cast, Pereira's coach and friend, Plinio Cruz, harked back to those training sessions and lauded Topuria.
Cruz likened Topuria's power to that of boxing legend Canelo Alvarez. Additionally, he alluded to former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor's foray into boxing.
McGregor competed in a professional boxing match back in August 2017, initially holding his own against all-time great Floyd Mayweather Jr. before eventually losing via 10th-round TKO.
For his part, Cruz asserted that Topuria could achieve greater success than McGregor did in a potential MMA-to-boxing crossover. He stated:
"I don't know how the adaptation would be. But I'll tell you that, I think what Conor did in the boxing ring, Topuria can do even better. He can do even more."
Noting how he's trained with Ilia Topuria and the latter's elder brother, UFC bantamweight Aleksandre Topuria, Cruz added, "What I saw there -- behind closed doors in our training sessions, which we did twice, right? ... That elite boxing style."
Nevertheless, the MMA coach alluded to the high skill level required to compete in the lighter weight classes. Cruz seemingly implied that it remains to be seen whether "El Matador" could overcome the experience-related skill differential against the elite boxers in that sport.
Check out Plinio Cruz's remarks regarding Ilia Topuria below (*comments at the 4:05-minute mark of the video):
MMA great Ilia Topuria has expressed interest in possibly competing in boxing
During a recent conversation with Victor Fontanez on DeepCut with Vic Blends, former UFC featherweight titlist and reigning UFC lightweight kingpin Ilia Topuria reaffirmed his interest in fighting in the sport of boxing. However, the consensus is that Topuria's UFC contract obligations would likely keep him in the MMA realm for the foreseeable future, though the UFC could permit him to box under the Zuffa Boxing banner.
Well, Topuria continued his war of words with WBO junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson, adding that he'd like to fight someone like Stevenson, who, he feels, talks too much. Meanwhile, "El Matador" has also traded jibes with boxing superstar and WBC welterweight champion, Ryan Garcia.
Currently, the Georgian-Spaniard fighter is scheduled to face former BMF champion and the reigning interim UFC lightweight titleholder Justin Gaethje.
The winner of this much-awaited MMA showdown between Topuria and Gaethje would emerge as the undisputed UFC lightweight champion. The pair will headline the special UFC Freedom 250 fight card at the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 2026.
