Topuria and Makhachev Trade Accusations Over UFC White House Fight Collapse

Ilia Topuria claimed he was scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev at the UFC White House event and went to bed knowing the bout would be announced, but was told hours before the official announcement that Makhachev was injured and he would instead face Justin Gaethje. Topuria questioned why Makhachev doesn't want to fight him. Makhachev responded by saying he accepted the White House fight when offered, but was told the next day that Topuria requested a huge fee and was denied, calling Topuria's version a lie. In other news, Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce backed Sean Strickland against Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal calling Chimaev's style "sitting and smelling crotches." Dricus du Plessis said Israel Adesanya was his most technical opponent, while Sean Strickland and Tavares were his toughest, notably excluding Chimaev because du Plessis doesn't consider their encounter a real fight.