Ilia Topuria “would love” to face fellow UFC champion Islam Makhachev in the octagon, but at this point he feels the promotion isn’t that interested in booking them against each other.
Topuria, Makhachev and their managers have gone back and forth on who was at fault for this fight not being booked for the UFC White House card on June 14, and the lightweight champion said that now he now sees the UFC as the reason why it’s not happening.
“I don’t think that it’s because of him that the fight is not
happening,” Topuria told DeepCut. “I truly believe that is that the UFC doesn’t want to make it happen. I think so.
“But at the same time trying to teach something to the UFC how to make the fights and all that, that’s a little bit difficult because the answer they have, which is correct, is that we don’t need your opinion [laughs]. We build whatever we have in our way. So we do it however we want it. And it’s completely understandable.”
Undefeated as a professional MMA fighter and lightweight champion after a short reign at featherweight, Topuria will headline UFC White House against Justin Gaethje. Meanwhile, former lightweight king Makhachev awaits his next contender for the 170-pound title.
As much as Topuria said he would “love” to one day have a historic clash with Makhachev, he doesn’t believe his legacy as a MMA champion would only be solid enough with this type of fight.
“For me personally, it wouldn’t change anything [if this fight doesn’t happen],” Topuria said. “I don’t hate him, I don’t have anything personal for him. The thing is that he achieved great things in the sport. He’s a double champion like me. And if you do that crossover, me and Islam, it will be one of the biggest fights in the UFC history without any doubt. But if that fight never happens, I will be happy and proud about myself. Anyways, I don’t need Islam to feel realized or to feel happy or to feel proud about myself, you know what I mean?”
Topuria has said publicly he would go up to welterweight to challenge Makhachev for a third UFC belt. Right now, however, he seems a worthy contender for the 155-pound throne if he gets past Gaethje in June.
“The fight with Arman [Tsarukyan] is gonna be a good fight,” Topuria said. “The thing is that they used to take a lot of confidence because they fight with fighters that… His last fight was against Dan Hooker. He has, I don’t know, 20 losses in his professional career. It’s like, bro, you never, ever — forget about it, never ever in your entire life you face someone like me.”
Tsarukyan is on a five-fight winning streak in the UFC against the likes of Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, and has been active outside the octagon winning grappling and wrestling matches around the world.
“It’s like, I’m gonna embarrass you in front of everyone,” Topuria said. “Because with him, he thinks that he’s tough, he thinks that like he’s wrestling is I don’t know what. Lke, he feels that he’s an Olympic champion, like he’s the best in the world in wrestling. When it comes to the octagon, bro, I’m the king. In there, I’m the king. I do with you whatever I want to fucking do. And I told him like I’m going to break his job in the first round.
“He’s gonna try to take me down since the beginning of the fight and when he’s gonna realize that, bro, it’s not that easy. It’s not that easy to take these legs and take me down, especially to control me on the ground. You crazy? And then he’s gonna start panic. He’s gonna be panicked and then when I break his jaw, bam. In front of all his crowd, all his people, his family, who gives a fuck. Bam!”
