Dana White responds to Islam Makhachev’s claims that Ilia Topuria asked for ‘too much money’ for fight at the White House

Dana White responded to welterweight titleholder Islam Makhachev’s recent remarks about why he wasn’t booked to fight Ilia Topuria.

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria will return to the Octagon on one of the biggest cards of the year at UFC Freedom 250 against interim titleholder Justin Gaethje. Topuria vs. Gaethje headlines an intriguing card on the White House lawn, and fireworks are expected to play out in the main event.

After months of teasing a jaw-dropping card with as many as six title fights, White’s big announcement fell short of fan expectations. Top superstars like Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, and UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev were left off the card despite public pleas from all three of them.

Before Topuria was booked to fight Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250, it was rumored that the matchmakers were working to book Topuria vs. Makhachev in a massive super fight to headline the event. But Makhachev continues to deal with a hand injury that could sideline him until July or August.

Makhachev recently cleared the air on what went wrong in White House fight negotiations after Topuria accused him of pulling out due to injury at the last minute. In a lengthy social media statement, Makhachev told a different side of the story.

Dana White clears the air on why Islam Makhachev/Ilia Topuria fight talks failed

Makhachev claimed Topuria was asking for too high an asking price to fight at the White House, which killed negotiations and led the UFC to pivot towards booking Topuria vs. Gaethje. After Makhachev’s fiery remarks went viral, it didn’t take long for White and the brass to take notice.

During a recent appearance on Adin Ross‘ live stream, White responded to Makhachev’s assertion that Topuria asked for too much money and sabotaged fight negotiations.

🚨 💰 Dana White calls ‘not true’ Islam saying that Ilia Topuria fight didn’t happen because Ilia asked for too muc money.

pic.twitter.com/g0kwUgmywu

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 8, 2026

“No, that’s not true,” White said.

White didn’t go into detail as to why the fight didn’t come to fruition, but didn’t rule out Makhachev and Topuria potentially squaring off in the future. Makhachev won the UFC welterweight title by outpointing Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 in November.

What is your prediction for a potential Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria fight? Let us know in the comments!