Topuria reveals White House fight with Makhachev nearly announced before injury

Ilia Topuria disclosed that he was scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev at the White House event and was informed hours before the official announcement. Topuria went to sleep believing the fight would be announced, only to be woken by numerous phone calls informing him that Makhachev had sustained an injury. Instead, Topuria was matched against Justin Gaethje for the White House card. Despite the fight falling through, Topuria stated he is not disappointed and believes the matchup with Makhachev should happen eventually. The revelation provides insight into how close the highly anticipated bout came to being finalized.