Ilia Topuria claims he was told just hours before the White House card announcement that his fight with Islam Makhachev was scrapped due to Makhachev suffering an injury, and that he would face Justin Gaethje instead. Makhachev counters that he agreed to the fight but was told the next day that Topuria requested a huge purse and was denied. Islam insists Topuria turned down the bout and that even Topuria's manager confirmed this version of events. Meanwhile, Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce have both picked Sean Strickland to defeat Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal dismissing Chimaev's style. Dricus Du Plessis named Israel Adesanya as his most technical opponent and Sean Strickland and Brad Tavares as his hardest hitters, notably excluding Chimaev because he does not consider their encounter a real fight.
