Ilia Topuria says he was on the verge of landing one of the biggest fights of his career before plans abruptly changed.
The reigning lightweight champion is now set to face interim titleholder Justin Gaethje in a title unification bout in the main event of the UFC’s upcoming event at the White House on June 14. But according to Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), the promotion had initially been working toward a superfight between him and former 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC).
Speaking during an interview with Adam Catterall on One on One, Topuria revealed just how close that matchup came to becoming official.
“Actually, it was about to happen, because before I (got) the confirmation to fight against Justin, I was supposed to fight against Islam,” Topuria said. “Dana said that he was about to make the announcement of the White House card. And myself, from the call that I (got) from the UFC, I knew that I was fighting Islam, because the first fight that they offered me, it was against Islam, so I went to sleep.”
Topuria explained that the situation changed dramatically within hours, when he was informed that Makhachev was no longer available due to injury.
“In the middle (of the) night, I got like, I don't know, a hundred calls from (his manager) Mark, from the UFC. (They said): ‘listen, he's injured, and you're gonna face Justin Gaethje,’” he said.
The sudden switch left Topuria acknowledging a sense of disappointment, though he emphasized that the circumstances were beyond his control.
“Hours before the announcement of the card, I was supposed to fight against Islam. That fight was this close to happening,” Topuria said. “I can feel a disappointment because the things are out of my control, like whatever. I don't involve any emotions in the things that are out of my control, you know what I mean?”
Despite the setback, Topuria remains optimistic that a showdown with Makhachev could still materialize in the future.
“So, if the fight has to happen, it's going to happen. If not, it's not going to happen,” he said. “I think it's going to happen at some point. I hope so, at least. And hopefully, it's going to happen at the end of the year. After this fight, who knows? Maybe we are going to get that fight. Finally.”
