The war of words involving Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev and members of their camps is still going. This time, Topuria manager Malki Kawa weighed in.
The latest twist in the Ilia Topuria-Islam Makhachev saga came from Topuria’s manager, who says the lightweight champion was never truly on the table as an opponent for UFC 317. The comments add another layer to one of the UFC’s hottest matchmaking debates, as fans have spent weeks fixated on whether the promotion could book a champion-vs.-champion style super fight.
According to Malki Kawa, the process began early in the week when he contacted the UFC to ask whether Topuria would be used on that card. He said the initial answer was no. A couple of days later, Kawa said the promotion called back and told him Topuria could fight, with a choice between Justin Gaethje and Makhachev.
Kawa said his side immediately pushed for Makhachev, but the money discussed for that matchup did not make sense from their perspective. He then described a late-night round of calls at the end of the week, when the conversation shifted again.
When Kawa called back, he said he was told Makhachev was unavailable because of a hand injury. From that point forward, the negotiations were no longer about Makhachev and instead centered on a possible fight with Gaethje. In Kawa’s telling, Makhachev was never an active option by the time serious talks were happening.
That distinction matters. If Topuria ends up facing Gaethje instead of Makhachev, it reshapes the immediate future at lightweight. A win over Gaethje would still give Topuria a marquee victory in one of the UFC’s deepest divisions, but beating Makhachev would have instantly changed his pound-for-pound standing and likely redefined the title picture. For Makhachev, any real delay caused by injury would leave the belt orbit crowded with contenders and fuel even more pressure for the UFC to settle on a clear next challenger.
American fans have been especially locked into this story because Makhachev vs. Topuria feels like a rare modern super fight: elite champion wrestling against one of the sport’s most dangerous pressure boxers. For now, though, the loudest takeaway is that the fight may have been more social-media fantasy than real negotiation, and the next move from the UFC should reveal whether Topuria is headed toward Gaethje, a title shot, or something even bigger.
