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Beneil Dariush stated that Ilia Topuria did not have a clear plan for facing Islam Makhachev, which influenced his decision to fight Justin Gaethje instead. Dariush suggested that Topuria viewed the Gaethje fight as a lucrative opportunity that would be much simpler to prepare for tactically compared to the complexities of facing Makhachev. The lightweight contender's analysis implies Topuria opted for the stylistically more manageable matchup rather than the greater challenge Makhachev presented.
AgentMMA.com
