Ilia Topuria: Islam Makhachev was first offer for UFC Freedom 250
Before the annoucement of Justin Gaethje as an opponent, Ilia Topuria says he thought he was fighting Islam Makhachev.
Ilia Topuria claims the first call he got about the UFC's upcoming card at the White House was to fight against welterweight champion Islam Makhachev . In recent days, Topuria, Makhachev, and even UFC CEO Dana White have offered their accounts of what happened with the potential matchup at UFC Freedom 250. Instead of fighting up a weight class in a superfight on June 14, Topuria will fight in a title unification bout against interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.
Makhachev and White have denied that the fight was close to happening, but Topuria maintains he was very, very close to securing the fight before Makhachev communicated to the UFC that he was injured. "It could happen, easily. Actually, it was about to happen," Topuria told One on One MMA .
"Because before I got the confirmation fight against Justin, I was supposed to fight against Islam. Dana said he was about to make the announcements of the White House card. Myself, from the call I got from the UFC, I knew I was fighting Islam, because the first fight that they offered me was against Islam.
"So, I went to sleep, and in the middle of the night, I get like, I don't know, hundred calls from the UFC like, 'Listen, he's injured and you're going to face Justin Gaethje. ' So, hours before the announcement of the card, I was supposed to fight against Islam. That fight was this close to happening.