Jason Burgos
Islam Makhachev claims he isn’t Ilia Topuria’s next opponent because the current lightweight champion requested a massive payday from the UFC to take part in the historic matchup.
On Sunday night, Topuria will be back inside the Octagon nearly a year after defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 to win a UFC belt in a second division. In his first defense of the lightweight title he won last June, he will face one-time interim champ Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC Freedom Fight 250. On the south lawn of the White House.
However, it wasn’t long ago when many thought he would have a different opponent for the historic event. Rumors swirled last year that a titanic clash between pound-for-pound stars Topuria and Makhachev at 170 pounds would main event the card in Washington, DC. Yet, when the fights for the UFC Freedom Fight 250 were revealed, Makhachev was a notable exclusion.
Ilia Topuria asked for $20 million to fight Islam Makhachev?
In a new interview with Russian MMA media, the current welterweight champion claimed that the UFC offered a fight with Topuria, and he accepted without discussing financial specifics. However, he alleges that officials from the UFC called his team the following day and revealed a fight was unlikely because he requested a $20 million fight purse.
That number isn’t surprising because it was also reportedly the asking price Jon Jones had to compete on the card. That amount has come up in MMA circles since last year, after Dana White and Zuffa Boxing reportedly paid Conor Benn that sum for a one-fight deal.
Jones, being the greatest MMA fighter of all time and the lineal heavyweight champion, asking for that total makes a bit more sense than Topuria. However, he might have been able to get away with half that amount if he had asked for it.
Either way, the number is surprising since Topuria wanted to be the first UFC fighter to win belts in three divisions. Now, Alex Pereira will attempt to do that in the UFC Freedom Fight 250 co-main event against Ciryl Gane.
