Everyone agrees that Islam and Ilia might be the biggest fight in UFC history.
In the world of combat sports, where narratives of avoidance and ambition often blur together, Ilia Topuria's manager Malki Kawa stepped forward to separate fact from perception. The lightweight title unification bout set for June 14 at UFC White House was always destined for Justin Gaethje — not because Topuria's camp shied away from Islam Makhachev, but because injury quietly removed him from the equation before serious negotiations could begin. What remains is a deferred reckoning: a fight that both sides acknowledge could be historic, waiting on health, timing, and the oldest obstacle in sport — money.
- A hand injury to Islam Makhachev silently collapsed what appeared to be a high-stakes choice, leaving Justin Gaethje as the only real option on the table for the June 14 card.
- Public perception had begun to harden around a damaging narrative — that Topuria's camp was steering away from Makhachev, one of the division's most feared champions.
- Kawa went on record to dismantle that story, revealing that he had immediately asked for Makhachev when offered the choice, only to be turned away by an opening number he called insulting to the fight's magnitude.
- The all-night Friday negotiation that produced the Gaethje bout was never a consolation — it was the only negotiation that was ever truly live.
- With both fighters expected to compete before a potential meeting, the Makhachev fight now sits on the horizon as a future landmark, contingent on outcomes, health, and financial terms the UFC has yet to match.
On a Wednesday in early March, Malki Kawa received a call from the UFC offering Ilia Topuria a choice of opponents for a lightweight title unification bout: Justin Gaethje or Islam Makhachev. Kawa's answer was instant — he wanted Makhachev. The UFC returned with a number. Kawa rejected it, telling them plainly it would never work at that figure. The conversation went nowhere.
Two days later, at nearly midnight on a Friday, the UFC called back. This time, Makhachev was gone — a hand injury had ruled him out for the June 14 card. What followed was an all-night negotiation, and by morning, Gaethje was the opponent. Kawa was emphatic: Makhachev was never a genuine option that week, only a briefly opened door that closed before it could be walked through.
The clarification carried weight because a different story had taken hold after the UFC White House announcement — that Topuria's team had maneuvered away from Makhachev. Kawa rejected that framing entirely. His fighter wanted that fight, he said, and still does. The obstacle wasn't reluctance; it was injury and an opening offer he considered beneath the occasion.
On the business side, Kawa was careful to frame his position not as greed but as proportion. A fight that many consider potentially the largest in UFC history, he argued, deserves compensation to match. He also hinted at a longer vision — Topuria potentially moving to welterweight to chase a third belt, with Makhachev as the target there too. The fight remains the goal. The terms, and the calendar, have yet to align.
Ilia Topuria's manager Malki Kawa spent a Friday night in early March on the phone with UFC executives, hammering out the details of a lightweight title unification fight. By the time that conversation ended, the opponent was set: Justin Gaethje, the interim champion who had knocked out Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 in January. The bout would headline UFC White House on June 14. But the path to that matchup had been anything but straightforward, and Kawa wanted the record clear about what had actually been on the table.
Just days earlier, on a Wednesday, Kawa said he'd received a call offering Topuria a choice between two opponents. One was Gaethje. The other was Islam Makhachev. Kawa's answer was immediate: he wanted Makhachev. The UFC came back with a number. Kawa rejected it. "You know that never will happen," he told them, according to his account on an Instagram live stream. The conversation stalled there.
Then came Friday night. At 11:59 p.m., Kawa's phone lit up. The UFC was back on the line, ready to negotiate. But this time, Makhachev was off the table. A hand injury had sidelined him, making him unavailable for the June card. The negotiation that stretched through the night was for Gaethje alone. "Islam Makhachev was never an actual option," Kawa said flatly. "That Friday night, I'm on the phone with the UFC brass and we're negotiating all night. That negotiation was for Justin Gaethje."
The clarification mattered because it reframed the entire story. In the days after the UFC White House announcement at UFC 326 in March, some observers had suggested that Topuria or his camp were avoiding Makhachev, one of the sport's most dominant lightweights. Kawa pushed back hard against that reading. He said Topuria had actively wanted the Makhachev fight and would still want it after June 14, assuming both fighters came through their upcoming bouts intact. The reason it wasn't happening now wasn't ducking—it was injury.
But there was another layer to Kawa's explanation, one that touched on the business side of fighting. When the UFC had offered a number for the Makhachev fight on Wednesday, Kawa had rejected it. He wasn't asking for $50 million or $100 million, he said. He was asking for what he considered reasonable compensation for what "everyone agrees" might be the biggest fight in UFC history. "Don't you think it should have the biggest pay day in UFC history?" he asked. "I'd be a damn fool to take that for less than the right numbers for that fight."
Kawa also floated an intriguing possibility: that after UFC White House, Topuria might move up to welterweight to face Makhachev there, potentially chasing a third belt. It was a way of signaling ambition while also suggesting that the fighter and his team were thinking several moves ahead. The Makhachev fight remained the goal, Kawa insisted. The question now was whether the UFC would meet them on terms that made sense when both fighters were available and the moment felt right.
Citações Notáveis
Islam Makhachev was never an actual option. That Friday night, I'm on the phone with the UFC brass and we're negotiating all night. That negotiation was for Justin Gaethje.— Malki Kawa, Topuria's manager
Everyone agrees that Islam and Ilia might be the biggest fight in UFC history. Don't you think it should have the biggest pay day in UFC history?— Malki Kawa
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
So Makhachev was offered, Topuria wanted him, but then the deal fell apart. What actually happened?
It's not that simple. Makhachev was offered on Wednesday, but only at a number Kawa thought was too low for a fight of that magnitude. Then Friday night, when the UFC called back ready to negotiate, Makhachev couldn't fight anyway—hand injury. So the negotiation became about Gaethje instead.
But couldn't Topuria have just taken the Gaethje fight and then fought Makhachev later?
Sure, but Kawa's point is that if you're going to do the biggest fight in UFC history, you need the biggest payday. Why discount it now when you can wait for the right moment and the right money?
Is that reasonable, or is that ducking dressed up in business language?
That's the tension, isn't it? Kawa says they actively want Makhachev and would even move up to welterweight for it. But he's also saying no to every offer that comes. At some point those two things have to meet.
What does Topuria need to do to make this fight happen?
Win on June 14. Then both sides have to agree on money. Kawa's betting that a win makes Topuria's stock high enough that the UFC will meet his price. That's the calculation.
And if they don't?
Then Kawa blames the UFC for not valuing the fight properly. That's what he's setting up now—the narrative that if this doesn't happen, it's on them, not Topuria.