Islam Makhachev has refuted claims of a hand injury being the reason for the canceled fight against Ilia Topuria, scheduled for June 14 at the White House. The lightweight champion asserts he readily accepted the proposed superfight. Makhachev contends that the real impediment was Topuria’s exorbitant financial demands, which he believes led the UFC to nix the bout.
Makhachev stated in a recent interview that he possesses text messages to corroborate his claim of being injury-free and to dispel any misinformation circulating about the fight’s collapse. He highlighted that Topuria’s reported request for “insane money” was the ultimate reason the UFC did not proceed with the fight. Makhachev emphasized his immediate willingness to accept the fight without additional financial stipulations.
While Topuria, who will now face Justin Gaethje at UFC 250, still expresses interest in fighting Makhachev, Makhachev is reportedly slated to make his welterweight title defense in August, with Ian Machado Garry being a potential opponent. Topuria, however, maintains his ambition to move up and challenge for the welterweight title after his own upcoming bout.
English Translation:
Islam Makhachev claims he was willing to fight Ilia Topuria on June 14 at the White House. The two-division champion states he immediately agreed to the superfight but points to other factors, for which he is not responsible, as the reasons it did not materialize. Undisputed lightweight champion Topuria is now scheduled to face Justin Gaethje, the current interim 155-pound titleholder, in the main event of UFC 250. Previous explanations for the failure of this superfight between the two UFC two-division champions came from Ilia Topuria, his manager, and Islam Makhachevโs manager, Ali Abdelaziz. Makhachev has now offered his perspective.
In a recent conversation with Red Corner MMA, the Russian fighter declared that his hand was never injured, contrary to reports from Dana White and claims made by Topuria. These reports suggested a hand injury was the reason the pound-for-pound king could not accept a fight with โEl Matadorโ on June 14. Makhachev asserted that he has text evidence to prove he was never injured and to refute the circulating false narratives. The 34-year-old also alleged that Topuria requested an unreasonable amount of money to fight him, which he suggests was the UFC’s reason for not proceeding.
“I donโt have any injuriesโฆ I can show you the chats with my manager. He called me: โThe White House event, a fight against Topuriaโ. And I said: โLetโs goโ, right away. But then the next day [Ali] called me and said itโs cancelled. He told me that [Topuria] asked for some insane money, and that was it. [Ilia] claims that I pulled out because of the hand injury. It had nothing to do with the hand. I said โyesโ right away, without asking for more money and stuff like that,โ Makhachev stated.
Islam Makhachev is now rumored to be making his first welterweight title defense in August, with sources indicating a potential fight against Ian Machado Garry. Topuria, meanwhile, remains focused on Makhachev. After his lightweight title unification bout on June 14, โEl Matadorโ plans to move up to challenge the welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king.
SEO Title:
<title>Islam Makhachev Denies Hand Injury, Blames Topuria’s Financial Demands for Canceled White House Fight</title>
SEO Description:
<meta name=”description” content=”UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev reveals the real reason behind the canceled White House fight with Ilia Topuria, denying hand injury claims and pointing to Topuria’s exorbitant financial demands.” />
