In a recent press conference, UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria shed light on the circumstances surrounding a potential superfight with Islam Makhachev, the organization's pound-for-pound leader. According to Topuria, the UFC had communicated a specific condition for the matchup to happen.
"The UFC told me that if Gaethje defeats Pimblett, I would fight Islam Makhachev," Topuria stated. This revelation indicates that the promotion was looking to set the stage for the champion-versus-champion clash based on the result of another key lightweight bout between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett.
However, the planned fight with Makhachev has since fallen through. While Topuria did not specify the exact reason for the collapse, the implication is that the prerequisite condition—Gaethje defeating Pimblett—was not met, thereby altering the UFC's matchmaking plans.
This development leaves the future of the UFC lightweight division's top tier in question, as fans and analysts had been eagerly anticipating a potential showdown between Topuria and Makhachev, two of the sport's most dominant champions.