Dana White Contradicts Ali Abdelaziz, Hints at UFC 331 As Islam Makhachev’s Return Target

UFC champion Islam Makhachev asked about Khamzat Chimaev superfight potential
January 18, 2025, Inglewood, California, USA: ISLAM MAKHACHEV 27-1-0 of Makhachkala, Russia defeats RENATO MOICANO 20-6-1 of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil by submission DÃââ Arce choke at 4:05 of round 1 during UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California Inglewood USA - ZUMAo117 20250118_zsp_o117_045 Copyright: xMikaelxOnax
by Kshitiz Kumar Singh

During the UFC 326 broadcast, Dana White officially unveiled the highly anticipated White House card, set to be headlined by a lightweight title unification clash between reigning champion Ilia Topuria and interim titleholder Justin Gaethje. While many fans welcomed the matchup between two of the division’s most dangerous knockout artists scheduled for June 14, a section of the MMA community had been expecting an even bigger showdown: Topuria vs. former lightweight king and current welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.

The speculation gained traction after White revealed during a stream with Nina Marie Daniele at a Power Slap event that a fight planned for the White House card had fallen through at the last minute. The buzz intensified when Gaethje disclosed that he was only informed about his bout on Friday night, prompting fans to connect the dots and assume the scrapped matchup involved Topuria and Makhachev. 

However, the UFC CEO has since firmly dismissed those claims and added that Makhachev was nursing a hand injury at that time. Now, Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has added further clarity, insisting the fight was never truly in motion. 

Speaking to TMZ, he revealed, “I got called about Ilia to fight Islam. It was middle of the day, Islam was sleeping, and I was excited about it. And after that, I got called back and said, ‘Never mind, the fight is not gonna happen.’ Before even I talked with Islam.”

 

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Abdelaziz also cast doubt on Topuria’s intentions, suggesting the fight may never have materialized due to the Spaniard’s financial demands. He further pointed out that Topuria would have needed to vacate his 155-pound title to move up and face Makhachev. Expanding on Makhachev’s plans, Abdelaziz claimed the Dagestani star is already booked for a summer return, stating

He said, “And after that, Islam got offered a different fight, at welterweight, to be the main event. And Islam said, ‘Hey, let’s do this in July….But in a way, Islam already has a fight in the summer, we have a welterweight No. 1 contender match against someone. It’s a done deal already, and the UFC will announce it probably soon.”

However, White appeared to contradict that timeline. Responding to a post by Freak MMA on Instagram featuring Abdelaziz’s comments, he dismissed the July claim and clarified Makhachev’s return window, “Not true……. It’s August.”

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With Makhachev now expected to return around August, potentially at UFC 331, the question of his first welterweight title challenger remains open. Jack Della Maddalena is currently ranked No. 1 but is coming off a title loss and is scheduled to face Carlos Prates on May 2 in Perth, Australia.

Other strong contenders include Ian Machado Garry and Michael Morales, while former champion Kamaru Usman remains a dark horse in the title picture. For now, all eyes are on the UFC’s next move as the welterweight division awaits clarity on who will challenge Makhachev first.