Now they’re saying Ilia Topuria might not get a crack at Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title, at least not right away. “They,” in this case, being UFC CEO Dana White, who was asked about it after Saturday’s UFC Seattle event.
“There’s still other possibilities,” White said. “There’s a lot of s*** going on right now, otherwise I would’ve said…”
The ellipses here are to indicate a natural trail off. But what White meant was that he would’ve said the fight was happening when he dumped a lordly pile of fight announcements on Wednesday night, in which he let the world know that Diego Lopes would take on Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title.
The vacated featherweight title, by the way. It wasn’t the UFC’s decision to strip Topuria of the title or to strong arm him into an ultimatum.
“No, he did that,” White clarified. “He said, ‘I’ve done everything I can do here, I’m ready to move up.’ And he vacated it. He said, ‘I shouldn’t be holding up anybody’s opportunities.’ I respect when guys do that.”
Asked if he thought Topuria had, in fact, done enough at 145 pounds, White steered it back to the Topuria point-of-view rather than give his own.
“I think that he felt that he’d done everything, with the guys that he beat,” he said. “If you look at who he beat and how he beat them, right? And I don’t think he loved making that weight anymore.”
It’s that last part that obscures the laws of inevitability, at least when it comes to any sense of entitlement for a champion who’s moving on up. Not wanting to make the weight isn’t the greatest ransom note for broader riches. Still, it was just assumed that if Topuria was truly hell-bent on trying his hand at 155 pounds, that he’d automatically be thrust into a title shot. Because, I mean, why would he make the leap otherwise? Why would he sacrifice a belt in hand for a hypothetical shot at a belt down the line? Why give away a fact for a theory?
That’s not the traditional work of a savvy businessman. Especially if sacrificing his title ends up meaning a date with Arman Tsarukyan as a barrier to entry. That could be a messy proposition for not one, but two worldly beasts caught in no man’s land. Tsarukyan had his chance for a title at UFC 311 in January but was forced to withdraw a day before the fight with a back injury, something the UFC brass didn’t appreciate. White said that Tsarukyan was going “back to the drawing board,” meaning he wouldn’t be granted an immediate title shot once healthy.
The question for Tsarukyan was (and is), if not a title shot against Makhachev, who was out there that made sense? Charles Oliveira, the man he beat at UFC 300 last year? That was a close fight, and a fun one, but do we need it again?
And who is out there for Topuria if not Makhachev and Tsarukyan? Oliveira? That, too, is a landmine for a reigning champion on his quest to win a title in a different weight class. Not that Topuria wouldn’t be able to handle it, but from the UFC’s perspective you are gambling away the prospect of a massive champ vs. champ setup to book anything other than Makhachev vs. Topuria, a fight that’s now tailor-made.
Of course, the “there’s a lot of s*** going on right now” part of White’s answer is a pregnant statement. This is where the good posturing gets done, and columns like these get written. The UFC is masterful at subtly negotiating through media. If there’s a demand that they don’t like coming from the Topuria camp to make the fight with Makhachev, it’s best to get out in front of it and say, “Hey, no guarantees — there are other possibilities,” to demonstrate the idea that, “We all good either way, bruh!”
There does seem to be a lot of [expletive] going on, which is always the case when high-profile fighters make high-profile moves. From a business standpoint, if you can leverage risk versus reward, that’s what you’ll do. “You could fight Islam for this…or, let’s see…of yes, Arman needs a fight.” Perhaps that’s some of what’s going on.
But the reasons to make the fight are obvious, as leverage the other way can be found in something as simple as public demand. Makhachev, for as good as he is, could use a mega-watt A-side to come in and challenge him. Somebody who would offer doubt as to the outcome, yet also throw his pound-for-pound status into question. There’s not a bigger fight to be made outside of Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall to unify the heavyweight title. Makhachev, on his own, isn’t exactly the most compelling draw. He is a steamroller with a Caucasus beard and a legendary coach. He’s at the top of his game.
And here you have a breakthrough fighter from an untapped market, also at the top of his game, who is already a Spanish icon and all the rage in Europe, cocky enough to poke the most dominant fighter in the UFC in the chest? It doesn’t matter if Topuria’s decision was because he was sick of saunas or not, if the fight can be made, you make it.
Of all the possibilities, this one offers the most.
