Ilia Topuria disclosed that he was just hours away from an official fight announcement against Islam Makhachev for the White House event before the bout fell through. According to Topuria, he went to sleep knowing he would be fighting Makhachev and that the announcement was imminent. He was then awakened by numerous phone calls informing him that Islam had sustained an injury and that he would instead be fighting Max Holloway. Topuria stated he is not disappointed by the cancellation. Despite the setback, Topuria expressed belief that the fight should happen eventually.
