Conor McGregor is angry at Terence Crawford. With less than a month left before he makes his UFC comeback after five years of absence, the Irish star fumed when he came across a disparaging remark Crawford made against Ilia Topuria.

In a heated exchange at the White House South Lawn, Justin Gaethje earned a corner stoppage over Topuria, who had held the lightweight title for the last two years. Smelling an opportunity, Terence Crawford jumped into the online discussion, teasing Topuria for claiming that he would give both him and his protege Shakur Stevenson a beatdown. But unbeknownst to Crawford, the now-former UFC champion soon found support when Conor McGregor rushed to his defense and slammed Crawford for mocking a fighter coming off a defeat.

What the f**k are you saying? You can wrestle, yet you are afraid of an MMA fight,” McGregor fired. “That to me is pitiful,” McGregor added. “The kid was beaten in an MMA fight, which you don’t have the courage for. What the f**k was with all these little boxers at this show yet no MMA fighters?”

Connor McGregor‘s criticism appeared to stem from a broader trend in combat sports. Over the years, fighters from the MMA and kickboxing backgrounds have repeatedly crossed over to boxing. Names like Francis Ngannou and Rico Verhoeven are recent examples. In sharp contrast, while many boxers have commented on mixed martial arts, barring a few, most have avoided taking a chance inside the cage.

That argument carries additional weight in Crawford’s case. Coming from a family deeply rooted in wrestling tradition, the retired world champion is known to possess credible ground skills that have been acknowledged by several prominent names.

McGregor could also be speaking from personal experience, given that he famously took on Floyd Mayweather in 2017 in a fight billed as “The Biggest Fight in Combat Sports History” while holding the lightweight championship at the UFC.

Adding another layer to the intrigue, McGregor has himself previously called out Crawford for a potential two-fight arrangement consisting of a boxing match and an MMA bout. Reports at the time indicated discussions had taken place between the two camps. Crawford, however, appeared unwilling to entertain the proposal, famously saying, “I’m not getting in no f**king Octagon with you so you can be kicking and elbowing me!”

That history arguably lends additional context to McGregor’s latest criticism. While the Irishman has repeatedly shown a willingness to crossover into another combat sport, something he believes many boxers have been reluctant to do.

Inside the Terence Crawford–Ilia Topuria war of words

Crawford’s jab, meanwhile, stems from an exchange that began last year before he defeated Canelo Alvarez to become the undisputed super middleweight champion on a Netflix event.

“I won’t talk about what would happen between me and Crawford in an octagon; I’ll talk about what would happen in a ring,” Topuria wrote in a tweet. “I put him to sleep in the first contact!!”

At the Canelo fight media day, Crawford, however, dismissed the Georgian-Spanish fighter’s comments, saying that he might be drunk, as many MMA fighters are.

The tension escalated further after Crawford walked into the ring at Allegiant Stadium with the famous “Canción del Mariachi,” a track from the movie “Desperado,” playing in the background. To Ilia Topuria, that was a personal affront given that he had been using the theme for his cage walks.

Firing back at Crawford, he wrote, “First he calls 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.”

Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Crawford said that he felt Topuria might be “clout-chasing” by calling his name. While he acknowledged that Topuria could step inside the ring for a face-off with him, Crawford remained unconvinced that he fully understood what he was getting himself into.

The Nebraskan switch-hitter also recalled the day when Topuria met him at the UFC Performance Institute. According to Crawford, he barely knew Topuria at the time, making the public callout all the more surprising from his perspective.

Even from a practical standpoint, Crawford felt a matchup against Topuria could prove disastrous, given the UFC champion, despite his acclaim, remained an untested draw when compared to someone like Conor McGregor.

Despite Crawford’s skepticism and later mockery, Topuria appeared willing to cool tensions when he discussed rivalry with Ariel Helwani a month ago. He said he appreciated what Crawford had done for boxing and, having taken plenty of notes from Crawford’s fights, could only wish the best for the former boxing champion who is now retired.

The exchange also fits the pattern that some fans have previously associated with Crawford. One example came earlier this year after his close friend and protégé Shakur Stevenson outboxed Teofimo Lopez to become a four-division champion.

After the fight, criticism emerged when many pointed to the way Crawford mocked Lopez’s team, particularly his father, Teofimo Lopez Sr. While Crawford later explained his stance, the incident left a mark among fans that once seems to have surfaced following the way he jabbed at Ilia Topuria.

In hindsight, the latest exchange highlights a characteristic of Crawford that has often drawn attention. Be it inside the ring or outside it, he rarely lets a snide remark slide.