Dana White had no time for fantasy matchmaking when a reporter floated Terence Crawford vs Joaquin Buckley at the Zuffa Boxing 03 post-fight press conference, bluntly labelling it the “dumbest question of the night.” His reaction showed how little interest he has in turning a heated online back‑and‑forth between an undisputed boxing star and a UFC contender into an actual crossover event.
Dana White
The question came after Zuffa Boxing’s third show at the UFC Apex, where White had spent most of the presser talking up the growth of his new boxing venture, its broadcast reach in 18 territories, and the surge of fighters wanting in. When a reporter pivoted to ask about Crawford vs Buckley, referencing their recent social media exchanges and Buckley’s claim that he would “kill” Shakur Stevenson or Crawford “in the streets,” White’s mood changed instantly.
White first asked for clarification, “Terence Crawford and who? UFC Buckley?” before cutting the idea apart. He pointed out the absurdity of suggesting a street fight involving Crawford, stressing that the three‑weight world champion had just earned around 55 million dollars and was not about to brawl outside with a UFC welterweight. “Crawford, who just made 55 million dollars, is going to go street fight Buckley?” White said, making clear how detached from reality he felt the matchup talk had become.
Crawford vs Buckley
The context for the question traces back to Shakur Stevenson’s comments on Adin Ross’ stream, where he argued boxing’s skill level is “different” and “way better” than MMA, which Buckley took as disrespect. Buckley fired back on social media, accusing boxers of looking down on UFC athletes and saying that if he, Stevenson or Crawford ended up “outside,” he could kill them.
That is when Crawford stepped in online, questioning why anyone was still talking about street fights and branding Buckley “clueless,” noting that in real life “they make switches for them kind of tough guys.”
By the time White faced the media at Zuffa Boxing 03, the Crawford‑Buckley storyline had become MMA‑Twitter fuel, but he wanted no part of it. He cut the reporter off with, “You win the dumbest question of the night award. Congratulations, sir,” then added that he had “no interest” in the scenario and reminded everyone, “I’m in the boxing world now.”
