Ilia Topuria claimed he was informed hours before the White House event announcement that he would fight Islam Makhachev, but the bout was canceled due to Makhachev's injury and replaced with Justin Gaethje. Islam Makhachev disputed this account, stating he agreed to the fight but Topuria requested an excessive purse and was denied, leading to the cancellation. Makhachev insisted that even Topuria's manager confirmed this version, and urged Topuria to stop lying. The conflicting accounts have created controversy over who is responsible for the fight falling through. Meanwhile, Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce picked Sean Strickland over Khamzat Chimaev, and Dricus Du Plessis named Israel Adesanya as his most technical opponent while calling Strickland and Tavares his hardest hitters.
Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev are offering sharply different explanations for why their anticipated super-fight fell apart before the White House event announcement, and the public dispute has drawn significant attention to the collapsed matchup.
Topuria stated that he was informed just hours before the White House event was officially unveiled that he would be fighting Makhachev, only to learn the bout had been scrapped due to Makhachev suffering an injury. Gaethje was subsequently slotted in as a replacement opponent. Makhachev pushed back hard on that account, saying he had in fact agreed to the fight but that Topuria demanded an excessive purse that was ultimately denied, causing the bout to collapse. Makhachev went further, claiming that even Topuria's own manager corroborated his version of events, and he publicly called on Topuria to stop misrepresenting what happened. The conflicting stories leave the circumstances genuinely disputed, with no independent confirmation available to settle which account is accurate.
Elsewhere in the sport, middleweight champion Sean Strickland continued to draw attention. "Tarzan" carries a 31-7 record and lands an impressive 6.04 significant strikes per minute, making him one of the division's most active and relentless pressers. Both Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce publicly backed Strickland over Khamzat Chimaev in that anticipated matchup.
Dricus Du Plessis, currently ranked second in the middleweight division and seventh pound-for-pound at 32 years old, also weighed in on opponents past. The South African, who lands 5.18 significant strikes per minute and blends that output with 2.22 takedowns per fifteen minutes, named Israel Adesanya as the most technically skilled opponent he has faced. He reserved a separate distinction for Strickland and Brad Tavares, identifying both as the hardest hitters he has encountered.
Why it matters
- The Topuria-Makhachev dispute leaves a potential blockbuster fight in limbo with no clarity on who bears responsibility
- Strickland's growing profile as middleweight champion draws continued outside commentary from fighters across the division
- Du Plessis's rankings position and active fight schedule make his assessments of divisional rivals particularly relevant
