Islam Makhachev has publicly stated he is exhausted by what he calls fabricated narratives from Ilia Topuria's camp regarding a potential fight. Makhachev claims he accepted a bout at the White House event, but the next day was told Topuria requested an unrealistic sum of money. According to Makhachev, the UFC rejected Topuria's financial demands and Topuria subsequently withdrew from the fight, a fact Makhachev says even Topuria's manager confirmed. He directly called out Topuria for changing his story in every new interview and insisted Topuria knows he pulled out of the fight.
