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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: Islam Makhachev of Russia reacts to his win over Jack Della Maddalena of Australia in the UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 322 event at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
It was supposed to be Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria atop Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 fight card from the White House South Lawn, but miscommunication about an injury and a $20 million fight purse demand ultimately got in the way.
This weekend’s massive event in Washington D.C. was originally expected to feature the long-awaited superfight between Makhachev and Topuria. Fight fans had hoped the two squared off back in 2025, but Makhachev’s move to welterweight put the matchup on ice. Things looked to be moving in the right direction when matchmakers started to look at the UFC White House card, which needed a big headliner.
The stars appeared to be aligning, but then UFC officials changed direction and settled on Topuria vs. Gaethje. Rumors swirled that Makhachev had an injury that would prevent him from competing, but that doesn’t appear to be true. Check it out below:
“I don’t have any injuries,“ said Makhachev earlier this week. ”I can show you the chats with my manager. He called me: ‘The White House event, a fight against Topuria’. And I said: ‘Let’s go’, right away.
“But then the next day [Ali] called me and said it’s cancelled. He told me that [Topuria] asked for some insane money, and that was it.
“[Ilia] claims that I pulled out because of the hand injury. It had nothing to do with the hand. I said ‘yes’ right away, without asking for more money and stuff like that.”
As for the “insane money” that Topuria asked for, Makhachev claims that the UFC lightweight champion requested a staggering $20 million for a White House superfight. After UFC denied his request, Topuria accepted a fight with Gaethje for his standard contractual pay. Check it out below:
“I got a call in the morning and was offered the fight. I agreed without asking for anything. They offered me the fight themselves, with a higher purse,” Makhachev revealed in another interview this week.
“The next morning they called back and said that Topuria wanted something like $20 million. He was turned down.
“A couple hours later his manager gave an interview, he said that the money wasn’t enough for them to fight Islam. But for the same money, under their contract, they agreed to fight Gaethje.”
At this time, all of this is a moot point. Topuria will unify his lightweight belt with Gaethje on the White House lawn this Sunday, while Makhachev awaits his next title defense later this year.
For more UFC White House fight card news and coverage click HERE.
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