The war of words between UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev and lightweight champion Ilya Topriya continues.
Topriya will headline a UFC event at the White House on June 14 against interim champion Justin Gaethje, but would prefer to face Makhachev. Topriya believes Makhachev has been avoiding a fight between the two and accused the Top Rank fighter of avoiding the showdown at the UFC White House event.
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“Islam makes an excuse again. This time it’s hurt,” Topria wrote on X. “I always knew I would be at the White House event. Even though the UFC told me at one point they were not counting on me for this fight, I knew that was part of the negotiation. When they finally told me I would be on the White House roster, they mentioned Islam, and I accepted the fight without hesitation. Even though the fight had not been officially confirmed, the day after the White House, the house card was coming out, and when I woke up, I saw Islam was injured, and then Justin Gaethje showed up again and he was going to pay for Islam’s escape.”
Makhachev hit back at the “Matador”, accusing him of “avoiding” the increasingly grudge match.
“We all know who is cowering here,” Makhachev responded to Topriya’s post on X. “You can cover up your cowardice with nasty tweets, but don’t worry, you’re going to get what you want one day! And your fat manager doesn’t have to ask for billions of dollars to fight me, we’ll do it for free.”
Topuria is ranked No. 2 in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. A fight between the two champions would pit two of the best boxers in the world against each other at the height of their sport.
