In a series of statements, Arman Tsarukyan declared his intention to fight Ilia Topuria and "kick him out of the UFC," while also stating he won't stop until he has at least five title defenses. Merab Dvalishvili emphasized he has no problems with Dagestani fighters except Umar Nurmagomedov, promoting a message of healthy competition between fighters from Armenia, Georgia, Chechnya, and Dagestan. Topuria responded aggressively to Tsarukyan, calling him unintelligent and claiming he would break his jaw in the first round. Additional notes mention Tsarukyan discussing a potential fight with Volkanovski, Demetrious Johnson predicting Chimaev over O'Malley, Benoit Saint-Denis announcing a fight with Paddy Pimblett, and Bogdan Guskov declining a fight with Baranyevsky.