Ilia Topuria revealed he went to sleep knowing he would fight Islam Makhachev at the White House event, only to be told hours before the announcement that Makhachev was injured and he would face Justin Gaethje instead. Topuria expressed confusion about why Makhachev doesn't want to fight him. In response, Makhachev stated he agreed to the White House fight when offered, but was told the next day that Topuria demanded an enormous fee and was denied. Makhachev claimed even Topuria's manager confirmed this version, calling Topuria's account dishonest. When a fan commented on Makhachev's late-night posting, the fighter cryptically replied "Today it's not him," suggesting someone else was managing his account. The conflicting narratives have left the true story unclear.
Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev have offered sharply contradictory versions of how a planned matchup between them fell apart ahead of the White House fight event, with neither account fully corroborated and the real story still unclear.
Topuria, the 29-year-old Spanish fighter ranked number one pound-for-pound and sitting at number two in the lightweight division, says he went to sleep believing the Makhachev fight was set, only to be informed hours before the official announcement that Makhachev had suffered an injury and he would instead face Justin Gaethje. Carrying a 17-1 record and generating 4.81 significant strikes per minute, Topuria publicly expressed confusion over why Makhachev appears reluctant to fight him.
Makhachev tells a different story. The 34-year-old Russian holds a 28-1 record and is the reigning welterweight champion, a grappling-heavy force who averages 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands strikes at a 58 percent accuracy rate. He says he agreed to the fight when it was presented to him, but was told the following day that Topuria had demanded an excessively large fee and was turned down. Makhachev went further, claiming that Topuria's own manager backed his version of events, and suggested Topuria's public account was dishonest. In a curious aside, when a fan noted the late hour of his social media activity, Makhachev replied cryptically that "Today it's not him," implying someone else had control of his account at the time.
Instead of Makhachev, Topuria will face Justin Gaethje, the 37-year-old American lightweight champion with a 28-5 record who lands an eye-catching 6.48 significant strikes per minute.
Why it matters
- The public dispute clouds the timeline on one of the most anticipated potential fights in the sport
- Both fighters have now made accusations that reflect on each other's professionalism and credibility
- The fallout could complicate future negotiations between their camps regardless of how the Gaethje fight plays out
