Ilia Topuria tears into Islam Makhachev over welterweight plans

'Biggest hypocrite I've ever seen' ... Ilia Topuria scorches Islam Makhachev for escaping their lightweight showdown

Speaking with journalists at the WOW 19 press conference, Topuria gave his brutally honest take on the Makhachev fight dissolving. [H/t to Marca, Álvaro Colmonero, Irati Sprat]

"[Islam] is the biggest hypocrite I've ever seen," Topuria remarked. "He said he didn't want to give me the opportunity because I was the little guy. And now the little guy is the one looking for the same opportunity I was looking for [against Maddalena].

". . . I put everything on the table, and they ran away. . . Why chase [Makhachev at welterweight]? If someone runs away, you don't have to bully them. . . I don't want to fight people who don't want to fight me either." [Translation: @ChampRDS]

Whether Topuria makes a fair assessment is another matter. While Makhachev held the record for lightweight title defenses (four), he faced plenty of criticism for the level of competition.

Two of his defenses were against then-featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, one was against an aged Dustin Poirier, and the last one was against Renato Moicano on a day's notice.

Team Khabib and Makhachev's camp made it very clear that the Topuria fight was a lose-lose for Makhachev, since he'd be another featherweight coming up to the lightweight division. Makhachev remarked he wouldn't retire without a second title.

What made matters worse was the pre-UFC 315 stalling, since Makhachev's decision rested on Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena. Since 'JDM' won, Makhachev was free to move up.

The sobering truth is that Team Makhachev made it exceptionally clear for a while that they didn't plan to fight Topuria, a featherweight. The writing has been on the wall for months, and unfortunately, that means UFC fans might not see one of the most alluring fights in recent years.