Dana White Rejects Fight Update From Islam Makhachev’s Manager, Offers New Timeline
Dana White likes to fix things when people speak too early. Meanwhile, manager Ali Abdelaziz discussed Islam Makhachev and a fight timeline, but the UFC boss changed the story publicly. It showed that sometimes managers say things before everything is final. White made it clear what happened, and fans understand the situation better after hearing both sides of the story.
Earlier, Abdelaziz reported the Welterweight champ will return in July and confirmed it as a done deal. However, now White comes in and claims, “Not true…It’s August.” However, he didn’t deny the part of Makhachev defending his welterweight title against the division’s number one contender.
🚨 Dana White confirms Islam Makhachev will fight in August, not July
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 26, 2026
Conor McGregor is currently rumored to headline International Fight Week in July 👀 pic.twitter.com/EAvKDoWVcW
The clarification shifts Makhachev’s return from July to August, which rules him out of International Fight Week entirely. And pushes the welterweight title defense to roughly nine months after he claimed the championship from Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. Somewhere between those two corrections, Conor McGregor’s comeback is quietly finding its calendar slot.
Ariel Helwani earlier reported that McGregor might return to fight on the IFW card. And now that the UFC boss has denied the claim that Makhachev will fight, it seems The Irishman will return. The UFC announcement is expected to happen soon. Notably, he even claims that Makhachev would have accepted a fight against Ilia Topuria in June.
Ali Abdelaziz Shares Inside Story of Missed Islam Makhachev–Ilia Topuria Fight
According to his manager, Makhachev was asleep when the UFC attempted to set up a fight with Topuria. Abdelaziz claims Makhachev didn’t even know that he was offered the fight. He said Topuria asked for a lot of money, so the UFC canceled the fight.
“UFC called me, it was a middle of a day, Islam was sleeping. After that I got call beck, ‘Never mind fight not gonna happen’ before ever I talked with Islam. There’re so many ways to turned down the fight. I can say, ‘I will fight Francis Ngannou, give me $50million.’ I don’t blame anyone for trying the most money they can,” Abdelaziz said.
😳💰Ali Abdelaziz says Islam Makhachev was asleep and never knew that UFC called him about fighting Topuria while Ilia asked for too much money:
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 25, 2026
“UFC called me, it was a middle of a day, Islam was sleeping. After that I got call beck, “Never mind fight not gonna happen” before… pic.twitter.com/fAOi2Q6Di4
Meanwhile, he is not fighting Topuria, and he is also not fighting in July. Fight week was expected to feature the champion defending his title. It may now be headlined by a fighter who has not fought since 2021. That is either a significant missed opportunity or a masterclass in event building, depending on which side of the McGregor debate you occupy.
Dana White Rejects Fight Update From Islam Makhachev’s Manager, Offers New Timeline
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