Makhachev UFC title shot delayed after claims he ‘turned down’ short-notice fight

Surging UFC contender Islam Makhachev's rise towards gold appears to have hit a snag after he drew the ire of UFC boss Dana White by supposedly backing out of a high-profile but short-notice fight.

Makhachev, who blitzed past veteran fighter Bobby Green last weekend in Las Vegas, was in line to replace the Covid-stricken Rafael Fiziev against former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos in the co-main event slot at Saturday's UFC 272, but as Dana White claimed in a recent interview, the Russian eventually opted out of the opportunity – something which White suggests may have cost him a title fight.

"Pretty close – I thought we had it done," White told Barstool Sports of the potential deal to have Makhachev step in.

"When I went to bed one of the nights, I thought it was done. Woke up the next morning and found out they turned it down. Islam [turned it down]. No clue [why]."

Dagestan's Makhachev was among those to put their hand up to step in just a week after Green had done the same after Makhachev's original opponent, Beneil Dariush, withdrew from their scheduled fight due to injury. 

White explained that he jumped at the opportunity, given that Makhachev and Dos Anjos had been set to fight each other on two prior occasions before those fights ultimately fell apart, but a disappointed White ultimately settled on drafting in Brazil's Renato Moicano instead.

“The best fight that we could possibly make would have been him and Islam. RDA and Islam,” White explained. “Islam turns down the fight. What’s the best fight you can make? [Renato] Moicano.”

But if Makhachev's plan was to sit back and await a title bout after a 10-fight win streak, perhaps he might have to think again after White said that the Russian fighter may have to wait for Beneil Dariush to recover from his ankle injury - something which could derail a world title shot until the business end of 2022. 

Champion Charles Oliveira is due to defend his crown against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 in May, while White has also stoked rumors that Conor McGregor could well be drafted in to an immediate title shot when he returns to action after suffering a broken leg in his loss to Dustin Poirier last summer.

“He’s obviously doing very well,” White said of Makhachev's winning streak. “I love the Dariush fight.

“Since he turned down this fight, we’re going to remake the Dariush fight. We’ll get that fight going. Dying to see that fight. He gets through Dariush, very interesting.”

Makhachev, meanwhile, appeared to have a different version of events, with his Twitter account asserting that UFC boss White "went to bed to early," adding that "you gotta stay up late to get things done."