It turns out Hunter Campbell wasn’t negotiating the Islam Makhachev fight that many thought when he headed to Dagestan.
After Makhachev submitted Renato Moicano at UFC 311 to move his tally of lightweight title defenses to four, it appeared that one man was in his immediate future.
With Topuria vacating the featherweight gold to pursue two-division glory, many called for the UFC to book him against the Dagestani titleholder in a much-anticipated super fight. However, reports emerged claiming that Makhachev wasn’t keen on fighting ‘El Matador’ until he first defeated a top contender.
So, when Hunter Campbell traveled to meet Makhachev in Dagestan, the consensus was that the UFC executive was negotiating a potential title defense against Topuria.
But that might not have been the case after all…
Umar Nurmagomedov reveals Hunter Campbell was not trying to set up Islam Makhachev vs Ilia Topuria
Makhachev’s teammate Umar Nurmagomedov recently reflected on Campbell’s trip to his region during an interview with Adam Zubayraev.
The former UFC bantamweight title challenger claimed that rather than attempting to convince Makhachev to fight Topuria, the promotion’s chief business officer actually wanted the Dagestani to leave the division so the Spaniard could become champion.
Nurmagomedov put the request down to Topuria’s stardom, which has risen owing to his violent and undefeated run to the top in the UFC.
“He (Campbell) came to see Islam, and they wanted Islam to move up,” Nurmagomedov said (h/t Red Corner MMA).
“They want to make Topuria the champ at 155 (pounds). They believe he can really sell fights.
“Islam doesn’t want to give up his belt — he wants to fight at 155 too,” Nurmagomedov added. “Islam can take the 170 title, then return to 155 and hold both belts.”
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Ilia Topuria called Islam Makhachev a ‘coward’ for leaving lightweight
In terms of the apparent reason behind Campbell’s Dagestan trip, Topuria evidently didn’t get the memo.
After Topuria’s move up was confirmed, the former featherweight kingpin was quick to target the long-reigning champ at 155 pounds. With that in mind, Topuria branded Makhachev a “coward” during their back-and-forth on social media, accusing him of deliberately avoiding their matchup.
“The difference between you and me is that I am a man and you are a coward,” Topuria wrote. “I speak and fight. You talk and hide. Run away far, leaving no trace.
For the time being, the pair will have their sights set on different rivals and different championships.
Should both men emerge victorious in their next fights, though, perhaps talk of their growing rivalry reaching the Octagon will be reignited.