What is the feud between Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev? War of words escalates between UFC icons ahead of UFC White House card

The rivalry between Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev has intensified. This comes ahead of the historic UFC White House event scheduled for June 14. Topuria, the current lightweight champion, recently claimed that Makhachev avoided a potential super fight between them. According to Topuria, the UFC had initially discussed matching him against Makhachev for the special event before the Russian champion reportedly pulled out due to an injury.

Instead, Topuria will now defend his lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the headline bout. However, the situation quickly turned into a public feud after Topuria openly criticized Makhachev and his manager. The Russian fighter did not stay silent and responded with his own accusations on social media. The exchange has added further drama to an already high-profile UFC card.

Ilia Topuria claims Islam Makhachev avoided the fight

Ilia Topuria believes the fight between him and Islam Makhachev was close to becoming official before things changed suddenly. The Georgian-Spanish champion said he had long expected to be part of the UFC’s White House card, even when he was initially told he might not feature on the event.

According to Topuria, once the UFC confirmed his inclusion on the card, Makhachev’s name was mentioned as his likely opponent. Topuria claimed he immediately accepted the challenge because he wanted the fight badly. However, when he woke up the next day, he learned that Makhachev had reportedly suffered an injury and the matchup was no longer possible.

In his comments X, Topuria suggested that Makhachev often finds reasons to avoid facing him. He implied that the injury was just another excuse and said someone else would now have to pay the price for that situation. The champion also criticized his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, while warning Gaethje that the upcoming fight would end quickly.

Makhachev quickly responded to those accusations on X. The former lightweight champion suggested that Topuria was the one trying to hide behind strong words. He insisted that the truth about who avoided the fight was already clear. Makhachev also claimed that the long-awaited matchup could still happen one day and hinted that he would be willing to fight without the “billions” Topuria’s manager demands.

The heated exchange has fueled speculation that the rivalry between the two champions could eventually lead to one of the biggest fights in UFC history.