Ilia Topuria on the fight with Makhachev

Ilia Topuria is not closing the door on Islam Makhachev. He is just making it clear who he believes kept that door shut for now.

The UFC lightweight champion said the missed superfight was not about Makhachev refusing the challenge. His version is much more direct. The promotion had the option, looked at the timing, and went another way.

“I don’t think that it’s because of him that the fight is not happening,” Topuria said. “I truly believe that is that the UFC doesn’t want to make it happen.”

That answer pulls the debate away from the usual online shouting. Topuria is not building the story around fear or excuses. He is saying the fight was available, the names were big enough, the interest was there, but UFC chose not to put it together right now.

It also keeps Makhachev in the picture without making him the only name that matters. Topuria still has a signed title fight in front of him, and that fight can change everything.

Makhachev remains the biggest missed fight

Topuria did not downplay what a Makhachev fight would mean.

That matchup still has the biggest shadow around the lightweight scene. Topuria brings the unbeaten record, the knockout wins, the confidence and the clean boxing that has carried him through two divisions. Makhachev brings wrestling, top control, pressure and the kind of championship experience that can make dangerous opponents look stuck.

Topuria said the fight could become one of the biggest in UFC history. He also made sure it did not sound like his career depends on one opponent.

“I don’t need Islam to feel realized or to feel happy or to feel proud about myself,” Topuria said.

That is the cleanest read of his position. He wants Makhachev because the fight is huge. He does not want the whole story of his title run trapped inside that one name.

• Ilia Topuria says UFC chose not to book the Islam Makhachev fight right now.
• He said he does not blame Makhachev for the missed superfight.
• Topuria still called the matchup one of the biggest possible fights in UFC.
• Justin Gaethje is the next confirmed opponent on June 14.
• Makhachev is now moving around the welterweight title picture.
• Arman Tsarukyan also received a sharp warning from Topuria.

Gaethje is the fight that can erase the argument

The dangerous part for Topuria is that the Makhachev debate means nothing if Justin Gaethje ruins the night first.

Gaethje is not a quiet step between bigger plans. He is a full problem by himself. The calf kicks, the short hooks, the pressure, the pocket exchanges, the damage over time. That is his whole world, and he has dragged many elite lightweights into it.

His resume is not soft reading. Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, Rafael Fiziev, Eddie Alvarez. Those names tell you exactly what kind of rounds Gaethje has lived through.

Topuria has the cleaner form. Gaethje has the dirtier questions. Can the champion keep his stance safe? Can he punish the entries before the legs start taking damage? Can he keep the fight sharp when Gaethje tries to turn it into a brawl?

Tsarukyan gets no respect from Topuria

Arman Tsarukyan also came up, and Topuria did not soften anything for him.

Tsarukyan is a serious name around the belt. He beat Beneil Dariush, beat Charles Oliveira and has the wrestling style many fans mention when they talk about possible problems for Topuria. Strong hips, pressure, scrambles, top game, physical pace. On paper, that is a real test.

Topuria answered with the same confidence he brings to almost every fight week.

“When it comes to the octagon, bro, I’m the king,” Topuria said. “In there, I’m the king.”

He also said he would break Tsarukyan’s jaw in the first round. It was not polite, but Topuria rarely sells these fights politely. The message was simple: he does not accept the idea that Tsarukyan’s wrestling makes him the natural answer.

That keeps another fire burning behind the Gaethje fight. If Makhachev stays at welterweight and Topuria keeps the belt, Tsarukyan remains one of the hardest lightweight names to ignore.

Topuria has three roads around him

Topuria’s title run now has three different roads around it.

There is Gaethje, the real fight on the calendar. There is Makhachev, the giant fight that did not happen now but still hangs over the division. There is Tsarukyan, the contender with the wrestling and the resume to stay close.

Topuria is talking to all three stories at once. He puts the Makhachev delay on UFC. He keeps Gaethje in front of him. He throws heat at Tsarukyan. That is a lot of noise, but it fits the position he has built for himself.

The whole thing still comes back to June 14. If Topuria beats Gaethje, the promotion has several big doors to open. If Gaethje wins, the Makhachev talk becomes background noise overnight.

For now, Topuria’s message is clear. He wanted the Makhachev fight. He says UFC did not make it. He does not need Islam to define his run. And before any of that can become real again, Gaethje is standing in the way.