Ilia Topuria says he is not disappointed that his fight against Islam Makhachev at the White House event fell through. Topuria revealed how close the bout came to being officially announced, stating that just a couple of hours before the full card announcement at the White House, he knew he would be fighting Makhachev and expected the bout to be announced. However, he then received a call informing him that Islam had sustained an injury and he would instead fight Gaethje. Topuria went to bed believing he would face Islam, only to be woken up by numerous phone calls about the change.
