Ilia Topuria claimed he was informed hours before the White House card announcement that he would fight Islam Makhachev, only to be told shortly before the official reveal that Makhachev was injured and he would face Gaethje instead. Topuria questioned why Makhachev does not want to fight him. Makhachev responded by saying he is tired of Topuria's fabrications, stating that he agreed to the fight when offered, but the next day was told Topuria requested a huge purse and was denied. Makhachev insisted that Topuria is the one who turned down the fight and accused him of lying. In other news, Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce picked Sean Strickland to beat Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal criticizing Chimaev's grappling-heavy style. Dricus du Plessis named Adesanya as his most technical opponent and Strickland and Tavares as his toughest, but did not consider his encounter with Chimaev a real fight.
