Ilia Topuria Accuses Islam Makhachev Of Faking Injury To Avoid UFC White House Fight

By Max Everett
Ilia Topuria celebrates victory Ian Maule/Getty Images

Ilia Topuria has said Islam Makhachev was using injury as an excuse to avoid fighting him on the UFC White House card in June. 

Topuria won the vacant Lightweight Championship last year after moving up divisions as the unbeaten Featherweight Champion, inheriting the title vacated by Makhachev as he himself moved up to become the Welterweight Champion, and thus setting up Topuria versus Makhachev as a would-be super fight. 

However, since Topuria and Justin Gaethje was made official for the White House event on June 14, the champion has gone on social media to say Makhachev had come up with another excuse to avoid fighting him. 

"Once again Islam comes up with an excuse," he wrote. "This time it's an injury. I always knew I would be a part of the White House event. Even when the UFC told me at one point that they wouldn't count on me for the event, I knew it was part of the negotiation. When they finally told me I would be on the White House card, they mentioned Islam and I didn't hesitate for a second to accept the fight."

Topuria said that he woke up on the day the card was going to be announced, only to find out that Makhachev had gotten injured. That lines up with news emerging on Friday night, as Dana White confirmed that a fight had fallen through at the last minute. 

"We both know who chickened out here," Makhachev wrote in response. "You can cover your cowardice with nasty tweets, but don't worry, one day you will get what you asked for! And your fat a** manager don't have to ask for billions to fight me, we'll do it for free."

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