Ilia Topuria has ignited controversy in the MMA world after launching a fiery rant aimed at Islam Makhachev while also sending a brutal warning to Justin Gaethje ahead of their newly announced fight at the historic UFC White House event.

The UFC recently confirmed that Topuria will defend his lightweight championship against Justin Gaethje at the special card scheduled for June 14, 2026, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington D.C.

However, according to Topuria, the fight was never supposed to happen this way.

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Topuria claims Makhachev avoided a super fight

In a lengthy social media post, Topuria accused Islam Makhachev of pulling out of a potential super fight due to injury, suggesting that the Dagestani champion once again found an excuse to avoid facing him.

Topuria claimed he had always expected to appear on the historic White House card and said that during negotiations the UFC mentioned Makhachev as a possible opponent. The undefeated champion stated that he accepted the matchup immediately despite it not being officially announced yet.

But shortly before the event lineup was finalized, Topuria says he woke up to the news that Makhachev had suffered an injury and would no longer be available.

“Once again Islam comes up with an excuse. This time it’s an injury,” Topuria wrote, implying that the long-discussed champion vs champion clash fell apart at the last minute.

Reports indicate that the potential fight between the two champions collapsed after Makhachev suffered a hand injury, forcing the UFC to restructure the card.

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