Ilia Topuria revealed that just hours before the official announcement of the White House event card, he was informed he would be fighting Islam Makhachev and that the bout would be announced. However, he then received a call saying Makhachev had sustained an injury and he would instead face Gaethe. Topuria went to bed believing he was scheduled to fight Makhachev but was woken up by numerous phone calls about the change. Despite the disappointment, Topuria stated he is not frustrated and believes the fight with Makhachev should happen eventually.
Ilia Topuria has revealed he was informed just hours before the official announcement of the White House event card that he would be fighting Islam Makhachev, only to receive a follow-up call saying the champion had sustained an injury and the matchup had changed.
Topuria, ranked number one pound-for-pound and currently sitting second in the lightweight division, said he went to bed expecting a blockbuster clash with Makhachev before being woken by a flood of phone calls alerting him to the switch. The 28-year-old Spaniard, who fights out of Climent Club under an Orthodox stance, carries a 17-1-0 record and has been one of the most active strikers in the sport, landing 4.81 significant strikes per minute. Despite the abrupt change, Topuria stated he is not frustrated and remains confident the Makhachev fight will happen eventually.
Makhachev, the reigning welterweight champion operating out of Eagles MMA, holds a 28-1-0 record and has built his reputation on suffocating grappling, averaging 3.2 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes. The 34-year-old Russian is also ranked first pound-for-pound and brings a striking accuracy of 58 percent to go along with his wrestling-heavy style. The reported injury is what prompted the late reshuffle, with Topuria instead being booked to face Gaethe on the card.
Why it matters
- The Topuria-Makhachev superfight has been one of the most anticipated cross-divisional matchups in the sport, crossing the number-one and number-two pound-for-pound contenders.
- Makhachev's reported injury introduces uncertainty around the timing of that bout.
- Topuria's public account of the eleventh-hour change keeps pressure on the promotion to deliver the fight once Makhachev is cleared.
