Islam Makhachev says UFC turned down Ilia Topuria’s massive request for White House fight
· Yahoo Sports
Islam Makhachev claims the UFC turned down a request from Ilia Topuria.
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The lightweight title unification bout is just hours away, and tensions have been rising ever since Topuria shoved Justin Gaethje at the press conference on Friday.
With Gaethje holding the interim belt, it was always expected that Topuria would face him first upon returning to action.
While Topuria doesn’t believe Makhachev is actively avoiding him, both fighters have their own reasons for why they’re not squaring off on 14 June. The Russian has recently spoken out about his side of the story.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCIlia Topuria reportedly asked for $20 million to fight Islam Makhachev at the White House
Ilia Topuria might still end up fighting Islam Makhachev at welterweight, with both men eyeing a potential matchup following their recent fights at UFC 303.
Makhachev says it was Topuria’s financial demands that steered the promotion in another direction for June 14.
Speaking in a video posted by Adam Zubayraev, Makhachev explained how the talks unfolded.
“I got a call in the morning and was offered the fight,” he said. “I agreed without asking for anything. They offered me the fight themselves, with a higher purse. Then the next morning they called back and said that Topuria wanted something like $20 million. He was turned down. That was the end of it.”
Malki Kawa noted that while they had been given the choice between facing Makhachev or Justin Gaethje, talks broke down after they turned down what was on offer.
Despite that, both fighters remain on track to potentially meet later this year once negotiations resume.
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