Ilia Topuria is taking shots at Islam Makhachev.
Both Topuria and Makhachev were focal points in Dana White’s big announcement earlier this week, revealing Makhachev is vacating the lightweight belt to challenge new welterweight titleholder Jack Della Maddalena later this year. Topuria faces former champ Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight championship in the main event of UFC 317 on June 28 to cap off the UFC’s International Fight Week.
Speaking with EuroSport, Topuria was asked about not fighting Makhachev in his first lightweight championship opportunity.
“He’s the biggest hypocrite I’ve ever seen in my life,” Topuria said. “He told me he wouldn’t give me a chance because I was the smaller guy, and now he’s the small one seeking the same opportunity I wanted. So, it’s like he criticized a decision, an action of mine, when he’s now doing the exact same thing. I’ve never seen such hypocrisy, but that’s how he’s being advised, I guess.”
In a follow up, the reporter asked Topuria about a comment made by Makhachev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, where Abdelaziz said he should “thank” Makhachev for vacating the championship to move up to 170.
“El Matador” jumped right in to respond.
“He should thank me for not beating his star, preserving his value and credibility,” Topuria explained. “They snuck him out the back door. Everyone knows it. It was the fight everyone wanted to see. I was ready for it. I’d prepared and put everything on the table, but they backed out.
“From the start, they never once agreed to the fight. They always said I didn’t deserve it, didn’t want to give another small guy a chance. They never accepted the fight or did me any favors. They only did themselves a favor by escaping in time to keep some credibility and value.”
Seeing the clip surface on social media, Makhachev responded to Topuria’s claims, and remained steadfast that he just wanted to see Topuria get one win at lightweight before giving him a title shot.
Difference between me and you, that I cleaned top list in my division, moved to next, but you ran away from two contenders who had consecutive 5-9 wins in FW division. You are nobody in LW division, just a big mouth from Spain with nice haircut. Go get one W, and we can talk boy
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) May 15, 2025
“Difference between me and you, that I cleaned top list in my division, moved to next, but you ran away from two contenders who had consecutive 5-9 wins in the [featherweight] division,” Makhachev wrote. “You are nobody in [lightweight] division, just a big mouth from Spain with nice haircut. Go get one W, and we can talk boy.”
