Islam Makhachev claims he was game to fight Ilia Topuria on June 14 at the White House. The two-division titleholder says he said yes to the superfight at once, but there were other reasons why it didn’t materialize, for which he cannot be blamed.
Undisputed lightweight champion Topuria will now be locking horns with current and two-time interim 155-pound titleholder Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC Freedom 250.
Previously, several narratives emerged from Ilia Topuria, his manager, and Islam Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, regarding why this superfight between the 2 two-division UFC champs did not materialize. Now, Makhachev has shared his side of the story.
Islam Makhachev reveals real reason why White House Ilia Topuria Clash Fell Apart
In a recent sit-down with Red Corner MMA, the Russian fighter said that his hand was never injured, as Dana White had reported to the media and Topuria had also claimed, citing it as a reason why the pound-for-pound king could not say yes to a fight with “El Matador” on June 14.
Makhachev added that he has texts that can prove he was never injured and dismiss all the fake narratives that are circulating. Lastly, the 34-year-old alleged that Topuria asked for “insane money” to fight him, which could be a reason why the UFC said no.
“I don’t have any injuries… I can show you the chats with my manager. He called me: ‘The White House event, a fight against Topuria’. And I said: ‘Let’s go’, right away. But then the next day [Ali] called me and said it’s cancelled. He told me that [Topuria] asked for some insane money, and that was it. [Ilia] claims that I pulled out because of the hand injury. It had nothing to do with the hand. I said ‘yes’ right away, without asking for more money and stuff like that.”
Islam Makhachev is now rumored to make the first defense of his welterweight title in August, and sources suggest that he will fight Ian Machado Garry
Topuria, on the other hand, still has Makhachev in his crosshairs. After the June 14 lightweight title unification bout, “El Matador” plans to move up next and dethrone the welterweight titleholder and P4P king.
