Before Ilia Topuria was set to fight Justin Gaethje at the UFC White House event, the idea of him facing Islam Makhachev in a superfight had thrilled fans. However, even though the promotion had the chance to book the showdown for the UFC Freedom 250 card, it never materialized, leaving many wondering why. Well, Makhachev’s manager explained why it ultimately fell through ahead of June 14.

According to welterweight champion Islam Makhachev’s long-time manager, Ali Abdelaziz, the superfight against lightweight champion Ilia Topuria fell apart for the White House event because the UFC never followed up after initially pitching the offer. The reason, Ali believes, was that the negotiations with the Georgian-Spaniard’s camp didn’t go smoothly, as they ultimately turned down the fight.

“Listen to me, this is what happened. Exactly. Hunter is living, Dana White is living. I got called about Ilia to fight Islam,” Ali Abdelaziz told TMZ. “It was the middle of the day, Islam was sleeping, and I was excited about it. After that, I got called back, never mind, the fight is not gonna happen before I even talked with Islam.

And what I know is there are so many ways to turn down a fight. I can say I’m gonna fight Francis Ngannou, give me $50 million. I don’t blame anyone for trying to make the most money they can. Cause I think Ilia and Islam is the biggest fight the UFC can make,” he added.

For the unversed, Dana White, during the Zuffa Boxing 4 post-fight presser, told reporters that the Islam Makhachev vs Ilia Topuria fight was never in talks for the White House card. However, ‘El Matador’s manager, Malki Kawa, revealed on the Anik and Florian podcast that he was negotiating for the superfight, which fizzled out because he claimed the promotion offered very low money for the showdown.

As a result, the Georgian-Spaniard’s team settled on unifying the title against Justin Gaethje at the Freedom 250 event. In that case, as Islam Makhachev’s manager used the “Francis Ngannou, $50 million” example, it came off as a direct dig at Ilia Topuria’s team for turning down the fight by asking for an astronomical number that the promotion refused to meet.

Well, both managers kept the actual number under wraps, but it’s expected to be over $10 million, considering Jon Jones was asking for over $15 million to fight Alex Pereira at UFC White House. Moreover, the reigning 170 lbs champion has also been dealing with a hand injury, which may have played a role in the fight not coming together, even as ‘El Matador’ criticized him for making an excuse.

Now, as we’re not going to see the superfight at the Freedom 250 event, there’s still a chance we might see the clash sometime in the future. But Makhachev seems to have moved on for now, as he’s eyeing a different opponent for his return. 

Islam Makhachev’s manager reveals his return timeline

Since the Ilia Topuria showdown has taken a backseat for now, the Dagestani icon’s manager revealed that Islam Makhachev is aiming to return soon. Though Dana White stated that the reigning welterweight champion has been dealing with a hand injury, Ali Abdelaziz revealed that Makhachev could return in July, most likely during International Fight Week.

“Islam got offered a different fight at welterweight to be the main event,” Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports. “And Islam said, ‘Hey, let’s do this in July.’ He has some stuff going on, you know, Dana spoke about it. But I can tell you this, if the [Topuria vs. Gaethje] fight was offered in June and Islam even had one leg, he would have taken the fight.”

“But in a way, Islam already has a fight in the summer. He has a welterweight number one contender match against someone. So it’s a done deal already, and the UFC will announce it probably soon,” he added.

Now, Ali didn’t reveal anything about Islam’s next opponent or the exact date, which leaves room for speculation. However, it’s most likely that one of the top welterweights, #3-ranked Michael Morales, welterweight legend Kamaru Usman, or #2-ranked Ian Garry will face him next.

As for the event, there’s a possibility he could headline this year’s International Fight Week, but Conor McGregor is also rumored to return during the same weekend. Does that mean the UFC could stage two separate events in the same month? We’ll find out soon.

That said, if Topuria and Makhachev both get through their fights, will they finally meet somewhere down the line? Let us know in the comments section below.