Topuria and Makhachev dispute White House event fight negotiations

Ilia Topuria claims he was initially scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev at a White House event, but Makhachev withdrew with an injury hours before the announcement, leading to Topuria being matched with Justin Gaethje instead. Islam Makhachev countered these claims, stating that Topuria's team demanded an excessive fee and was therefore denied the fight. Makhachev insists that Topuria refused the bout and is now lying about the circumstances. Jorge Masvidal and Chase Pfeifer have both predicted Sean Strickland to defeat Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal criticizing Chimaev's fighting style. Dricus Du Plessis named Israel Adesanya as his most technical opponent, while Strickland and Tavares were the toughest, notably excluding Chimaev from consideration as he doesn't count their brief encounter as a real fight.