Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria are at it again.
For well over a year, Makhachev and Topuria have been embroiled in a public relations battle through the media built around a hypothetical fight between the two of them. Though both men have moved up weight classes, Topuria insists that Makhachev is running away from a fight with him, while Makhachev maintains he’s never turned down such a fight, and has only done the same thing that Topuria has — pursue a second title.
New fuel was added to their ongoing
feud earlier this year when Topuria was booked to unify his lightweight title with interim champion Justin Gaethje at UFC White House, but quickly said he was supposed to fight Makhachev at that event. And speaking recently with ABC, Topuria doubled down on that.
“The first thing to understand is that everyone defends their own position,” Topuria said. “My understanding from the UFC was that they weren’t going to count on me for the White House fight, that I should do what I had to do. But I thought that was part of the negotiation; it’s not the same as you asking for the opportunity as them calling you.
“I went to the Dominican Republic, and there I received a call from the UFC, indicating that I might be at the White House to fight Islam Makhachev. Dana White came out saying that he would announce the entire card in two days, so I said that if I were there, it would be against Islam. Suddenly, they called me to tell me that Islam had been injured and that he would be fighting Justin Gaethje. There were points in the negotiation that we were discussing, but that’s secondary.”
Of course, it didn’t take long for Makhachev to see Topuria’s comments and fire back at “El Matador.”
“I’m tired of hearing made-up stories from Topuria and his team. I got the call and accepted the fight at the White House. The next day, I was told he asked for an unrealistic purse. The UFC declined, and he pulled out. That’s it nothing more to it. Even his manager confirmed it. Ilia, stop talking. Every interview you give tells a different story. You pulled out, and you know it.”
For what it’s worth, UFC CEO Dana White denied that the fight was ever planned for, and Topuria’s manager, Malki Kawa, said that they accepted fights with both Makhachev and Gaethje but declared, “it was just more about the numbers and the finances.”
Meanwhile, Makhachev has yet to be booked to defend his welterweight title, though the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter is expected to return to action sometime this year.
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FLAVOR IN YOUR EAR
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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Let’s go.
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Update.
But, should they?
Kevin Vallejos plays “speak when someone is better than you.” Mostly who you’d expect, but he snubs Topuria.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I genuinely hope Topuria and Makhachev never fight. I’m so sick of this. Both of them need to just do their jobs and defend their belts. Clean out your divisions, and then you can fight.
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