Ilia Topuria claimed he was initially scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev at the White House event, but hours before the announcement he was told Makhachev was injured and he would face Justin Gaethje instead. Topuria questioned why Makhachev does not want to fight him. Islam Makhachev responded by saying he is tired of Topuria's fabrications, stating that he agreed to the White House fight but was told the next day that Topuria demanded a huge fee and was refused. Makhachev insisted that Topuria turned down the fight and accused him of lying. In a late-night social media exchange, a fan told Makhachev to go to sleep at 4 AM, to which Makhachev cryptically replied "Today it's not him."
