UFC Welterweight Champ Islam Makhachev claims Ilia Topuria was offered a shot at UFC 250
Ilia Topuria apparently could have fought Islam Makhachev at UFC Freedom 250 after all.
The UFC lightweight champion is returning for his first title defence at Sunday’s event on the White House lawn.
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A year after knocking out Charles Oliveira to win the title, Topuria will face Justin Gaethje in a unification fight that headlines the upcoming card in Washington, D.C.
Initial reports suggested that ‘El Matador’ was in line to challenge for welterweight glory, and the champion in that weight class says the Spaniard absolutely could have.
Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images
Islam Makhachev says he was available to face Ilia Topuria in UFC Freedom 250 main event
After the Topuria vs Gaethje headliner was revealed, Dana White said Makhachev had been dealing with an injury.
That was the reason given for why the super-fight between the two champions didn’t materialise, but Makhachev is pushing back against that narrative.
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Makhachev instead pointed to money as the real issue, saying Topuria priced himself out of negotiations by asking for too much.
He stood by that version of events during a recent appearance on Red Corner MMA and also accused White of not being truthful about his injury status.
“I can show you the chats with my manager. He called me (and said), ‘The White House event, a fight against Topuria.’ And I said, ‘Let’s go,’ right away.
“The next day, (Ali Abdelaziz) called me and said it’s cancelled. He told me that (Topuria) asked for some insane money, and that was it.”
Makhachev is now waiting to book his first title defence since defeating Jack Della Maddalena in New York City last November. A fight against Ian Machado Garry has been rumoured for August at UFC 330.
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