Makhachev Mocks Topuria After Corner Stoppage

Islam Makhachev watched Ilia Topuria quit on his stool on Sunday night and could not resist responding.

The welterweight champion had been in talks to face Topuria on the White House card before negotiations collapsed — each side blaming the other, with Topuria claiming Makhachev pulled out and Makhachev accusing Topuria of pricing himself out. The fight never happened. The corner stoppage before the fifth round gave Makhachev something better than a victory: the last word.

"He who exalts himself will be humbled. There are levels in this game! Congratulations Justin, you deserve this belt more than anyone," Makhachev

He returned for a second post shortly after, this one sharper and directed specifically at the manner of the defeat.

"To quit in the biggest fight of your career — is something not everybody can do. Real Le Layenda," Makhachev

Topuria spent the months leading up to UFC Freedom 250 positioning himself as one of the elite fighters in the sport, calling out Makhachev, dismissing Gaethje as an underdog, and framing his lightweight reign as the beginning of a multi-division legacy. The corner stoppage — the first time in his professional career he had not continued — arrived on the largest stage the UFC has ever used, in front of the biggest audience the organisation has ever assembled.

The failed negotiation between the two adds another layer. Had the welterweight matchup been made and Makhachev beaten Topuria, the result would have made a statement. Instead Gaethje made it for him, and Makhachev gets to comment from the outside without having taken any of the punches.

Whether the two ever share a cage remains unresolved. Topuria said after Sunday that he will return stronger and more dangerous. Makhachev, watching from the welterweight division, has made clear he is not particularly impressed by Ilia.