Ilia Topuria claimed he was told hours before the White House event announcement that he would fight Islam Makhachev, but was then informed Makhachev was injured and he would face Gaethje instead. Topuria questioned why Makhachev doesn't want to fight him. Makhachev responded that he agreed to the White House bout when contacted, but was told the next day that Topuria requested a huge fee and was denied. Makhachev stated that Topuria refused the fight and that even Topuria's manager confirmed this. The exchange also includes Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce predicting Sean Strickland to beat Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal criticizing Chimaev's wrestling-heavy style. Additionally, Dricus du Plessis named Israel Adesanya as his most technical opponent and Sean Strickland and Brad Tavares as his toughest, notably excluding Chimaev because he doesn't consider their brief encounter a real fight.
A public dispute has broken out between featherweight champion Ilia Topuria and lightweight champion Islam Makhachev over who turned down a high-profile bout connected to a White House event announcement, with both fighters offering contradictory accounts of how the fight fell apart.
Topuria claimed he was notified just hours before the announcement that he was set to face Makhachev, only to be told shortly after that Makhachev was injured and that Justin Gaethje would step in as his opponent instead. The Georgian champion publicly questioned why Makhachev appears unwilling to fight him. Makhachev pushed back sharply, stating he agreed to the bout when first approached, but was then told the following day that Topuria had demanded an unusually large fee that was refused. Makhachev went further, asserting that Topuria's own manager confirmed the fighter had declined the contest.
The back-and-forth leaves the situation unresolved, with both men placing the blame squarely on the other side.
Why it matters
- The disputed fight would have been a rare cross-divisional superfight between two reigning champions
- No official bout agreement was announced, meaning neither side's account has been independently verified
- The public conflict keeps the potential matchup in the conversation while adding layers of negotiation drama
Elsewhere in combat sports chatter, Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce both predicted Sean Strickland to defeat Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal taking aim at Chimaev's wrestling-oriented approach. Strickland, the current middleweight champion carrying a 31-7-0 record, lands an impressive 6.04 significant strikes per minute and holds a 76-inch reach at 185 cm tall.
Middleweight contender Dricus du Plessis, ranked second in the division at 32 years old with a 23-3-0 record, named Israel Adesanya as his most technically demanding opponent, while citing Strickland and Brad Tavares as the fighters who tested him most physically. Du Plessis pointedly left Chimaev off that list, explaining he does not regard their brief encounter as a legitimate fight.
