Ilia Topuria claimed he was scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev at the White House event but was told hours before the announcement that Makhachev was injured and he would face Gaethje instead. Makhachev fired back, saying he agreed to the fight but was told Topuria demanded a massive fee and was denied. Makhachev stated that even Topuria's manager confirmed this version of events. The exchange highlights ongoing tension between the two champions over a potential superfight. Meanwhile, Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce predicted Sean Strickland to beat Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal calling Chimaev's style "sitting and smelling crotches." Dricus du Plessis ranked Israel Adesanya as his most technical opponent and Sean Strickland and Brad Tavares as his toughest, notably excluding Chimaev because he doesn't consider their brief encounter a real fight.
