When a fight as big as Ilia Topuria vs Islam Makhachev, that too as the UFC White House headliner, falls apart, there’s always more than one version of the story. And now, with accusations flying around, who really is to blame for it all? ‘El Matador’ has finally revealed his side of what really happened behind the scenes.

The lightweight champion claimed that when talks began, he was given a choice.

“I don’t know the real story,” he told Ariel Helwani. “What I know is that the first phone call that I get, I had like two options: Islam and Justin Gaethje. And we said, We want Islam because it’s a bigger fight.”

But according to ‘El Matador,’ things changed overnight.

“Then the day before that, they were like about to announce the event; they called me in the middle of the night, they wake me up, and they told me Islam is injured,” he added. “Something happened with his hand, or I don’t know what, and you are gonna fight Justin.

“Malki Kawa (Ilia’s manager), he had to go like through a lot of negotiations, like with every fight that we close, and finally I’m fighting Justin. That’s the story from my side. That’s all I know.”

So, that’s all it was: two phone calls that first made and ultimately broke the fight. The inability for the fight to come together is definitely frustrating. It’s kind of reminiscent of the years of public back-and-forth and ultimate failure to book a fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao in their absolute primes.

However, it is worth noting that this version of the story directly contradicts Islam Makhachev’s narrative of the fight cancellation. The welterweight champion claimed that he welcomed the fight and that it was Ilia Topuria who priced himself out with unrealistic demands.

“I’m tired of hearing made-up stories from Topuria and his team,” he wrote on X. “I got the call and accepted the fight at the White House. The next day, I was told he asked for an unrealistic purse.

“The UFC declined, and he pulled out. That’s it, nothing more to it. Even his manager confirmed it. Ilia, stop talking. Every interview you give tells a different story. You pulled out, and you know it.”

And that’s what keeps this story alive because while the fight with Islam Makhachev didn’t happen this time, the debate over why it fell apart hasn’t died just yet.

If anything, it’s added more intrigue to a matchup that already felt inevitable. But if you ask ‘El Matador,’ it was a huge disappointment that the fight fell through, as he was all geared up to surprise fans with a finish that no one would’ve seen coming.

Ilia Topuria claims he would’ve submitted Islam Makhachev at the White House

That’s where the frustration really comes in for Ilia Topuria. It wasn’t just about missing out on a major fight; it was also about missing out on an opportunity to do something unexpected because, in his opinion, facing the Dagestani wasn’t going to be about survival or edging a decision. It was about flipping the script entirely.

“When I get the opportunity to fight with someone, I always think about what can I do to really shock the world,” Topuria told Ariel Helwani. “So with Islam, I’m like, to shock the world, I have to submit him.

“So this is what I think that’s going to happen. I’m going to take him down, and I’m going to submit him. Don’t be surprised when you’re going to see that happen.”

It’s a bold claim, especially against a fighter known for his ground dominance, but that’s exactly the point ‘El Matador’ was making: Ilia Topuria wasn’t looking to beat Makhachev at his own game; he was looking to surpass it.

For now, that statement is purely hypothetical. However, it also keeps the fight dreams alive for fans because when a fighter publicly declares his intention to submit someone like Islam Makhachev, it elevates the stakes for whenever that matchup finally does happen.