Team Khabib Spills Details Behind UFC’s Dagestan Visit to Convince Islam Makhachev Revealed

Eye-opening details suggests UFC executive Hunter Campbell visiting Islam Makhachev in Dagestan led to title relinquishment.

Team Khabib Spills Details Behind UFC’s Dagestan Visit to Convince Islam Makhachev Revealed

UFC Exec Hunter Campbell's Dagestan trip wasn't for negotiating Islam Makhachev fight (Source: X)

With longtime UFC 155-pound king Islam Makhachev abandoning his post for a shift north, former featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria will return at UFC 317 to contend for his vacant strap. The PPV title booking is for June 28th during IFW Festivities main event. However, there was a time when Topuria vs. Makhachev seemed more like a sure-shot probability.

International Fight Week was fast approaching; Ilia Topuria had already relinquished his 145-pound title and driven up talks of being able to defeat Islam Makhachev. Despite the Dagestani shutting him down more than once, the prospect of such a match-up interested fans on a skills level.

With a convoluted 155-pound scenario and Makhachev tired of rematches/featherweight challenges, he was sitting duck without a booking. All didn’t seem lost, however, as UFC CBO Hunter Campbell paid the team a visit. Umar Nurmagomedov has now broken silence on that said visit:

He [Campbell] came to see Islam, and they wanted Islam to move up, …They want to make Topuria the champ at 155… [and]They believe he can really sell fights. Islam doesn’t want to give up his belt — he wants to fight at 155 too; [but]Islam can take the 170 title, then return to 155 and hold both belts.

Umar Nurmagomedov in a recent media interview (🎥: @AdamZubayraev for ‘Hustle’ Vlog: UMAR NURMAGOMEDOV; H/T: @RedCorner_MMA)

It came at a time when the always-cocky and confident Ilia Topuria had already slated a mystery UFC 317 PPV opponent; his participation in IFW as a PPV headliner was somewhat there. Right before, both he and Islam Makhachev had announced the start of their training camps, thus giving a glimpse of a possible PPV super fight against each other (possibly UFC 317).

Hunter Campbell, who met coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, manager Rizvan Magomedov, and Zubaira Tukhugov in Dubai, traveled to Dagestan for it again. But as it turns out, Makhachev was really unwilling to leave behind his momentum at lightweight, even though he did not prefer a Topuria fight.

For now, he will face newly minted 170-pound champion Jack Della Maddalena in a PPV title scrapper sometime later this year. Per the younger Nurmagomedov, all hope is not lost, as Makhachev might have kept one foot in to return for his gold at lightweight.

Islam Makhachev was called a coward by Ilia Topuria

For Makhachev, things worked against his favor as this was quite an interesting fight on a skill-to-skill level. Club Climent had presented Ilia Topuria’s unheralded grappling as even better than his standup skills. His standup statement over brand names like common rival Alexander Volkanovski and the gritty Max Holloway made this a stiff skills test in the first place.

Ilia Topuria jumped the gun to blame Islam Makhachev for not making fight
Ilia Topuria jumped the gun to blame Islam Makhachev for not making fight (Source: X)

So, to add to the arsenal would only drive up the bargain for a PPV title fight against the promotion’s #1 pound-for-pound fighter. However, Coach Khabib and the fighter himself presented that Topuria needed to log more wins as a lightweight. Otherwise, it would mark yet another former/current 145-pounder Islam Makhachev defended against, thus driving up weight bully claims.

Topuria evidently didn’t get the memo about the apparent reason behind Campbell’s Dagestan trip. But as always, the Spaniard had to drive up the bargain and went a step ahead to say he could finish Islam Makhachev in a title booking.

After a UFC 317: “Topuria vs. Oliveira” PPV title spot was thus confirmed, “El Matador” took to socials to rant. He, thus, even billed Makhachev a coward for running away:

The difference between you and me is that I am a man and you are a coward. I speak and fight. you talk and hide. Run away far, leaving no trace. Ты маленький пацан.

Ilia Topuria via X (@Topuriailia)

Despite not boasting ginourmous PPV records, Topuria goes the extra step to drive up a fight with pre-fight banter and tidbits. He always does back it up with sensational KOs and an undefeated stat; he has become a highly popular and bankable choice. Even others jumped the gun to say it would be ‘cowardly’ not to make this fight.

Also Read: