Ilia Topuria has publicly stated that Islam Makhachev is counting other people's money and making excuses to avoid fighting him. According to Topuria, Makhachev has already made excuses once before, and now has come up with them a second time. The Georgian-Spanish fighter believes this pattern of behavior demonstrates that Makhachev is deliberately avoiding a potential matchup between them. Topuria's comments suggest ongoing tension between the two champions. No specific fight has been announced between the two.
