Ilia Topuria reveals White House bout with Islam Makhachev was hours from announcement

Ilia Topuria disclosed that his fight with Islam Makhachev at the White House event was nearly finalized before falling through. Topuria stated he went to bed knowing he would be fighting Makhachev and that an official announcement was just hours away. He was then awakened by multiple phone calls informing him that Makhachev had sustained an injury and he would instead face Justin Gaethje. Despite the last-minute change, Topuria says he is not disappointed about the canceled Makhachev matchup. The featherweight champion expressed confidence that the fight will eventually happen at some point in the future.