Ilia Topuria returns to action against Justin Gaethje on June 11th at the big UFC White House card. It’s a big fight, as all Topuria fights are. But not the biggest fight possible. According to Ilia, that would be Topuria vs. Makhachev.
“I think it is a fight that everyone wants to see, whether they are sports fans or not,” Topuria told Spanish outlet ABC. “It is a fight that from my perspective has to happen.”
“If I were in the UFC’s place I would do everything I could to make it happen,” he added.
“But it’s hard to give the UFC advice when they’ve managed to build what they’ve built. From the outside we see one thing, but they’re inside the kitchen and see how to place the pieces in the future. Whatever comes, I have to be prepared, and I’m focusing on the things that are under my control.”
In addition to fighting, Topuria has also experienced what it’s like to be a fight promoter with his WOW MMA events. Asked how he’d run the kitchen and set up an Ilia vs. Islam fight, “El Matador” once again defered to the UFC’s possible reasoning.
“I don’t know, honestly,” he said. “I believe that if I were a promoter, if I prioritize the company, I do not know if it is good to cross the two of us in our peak moment. I just changed weightclasses, he did too. We both have our fan base, so to kill Islam in this case, you are killing a Middle East star. What would be left? It’s a little complicated.”
In the end, Topuria’s main goal isn’t a fight with Makhachev but a fight for a third title.
“The triple crown has always made sense to me whether it is against Islam Makhachev or not,” he said.
Topuria denied accusations that he priced himself out of a Makhachev fight.
“I received the call from the UFC and they said I could still be on the White House card fighting Islam Makhachev,” he said. “Dana White came out saying he’d announce the entire card in two days, so I thought if I was there, it would be against Islam. Suddenly, I was called and told that Islam was injured and that I would go against Justin Gaethje. There were points of the negotiation that we were debating, but it is secondary.”
Topuria also showed a willingness to face Arman Tsarukyan, but says the fight was never offered.
“He’s doing what he has to do, talk, move, expand his name and brand,” Topuria said. “I don’t know if the fight will be offered. They called me and told me ‘You’re going to fight Islam’ and I said ‘Perfect,’ after it was Gaethje and perfect too. There’s no problem.”
