Arman Tsarukyan stated he wants Diego Lopes to pull out so he can fight Ilia Topuria and "kick him out of the UFC," declaring this his goal. The Armenian fighter also said he will only stop when he has at least five UFC title defenses. Meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili clarified he has no issues with Dagestani fighters except Umar Nurmagomedov, emphasizing that Armenia, Georgia, Chechnya, and Dagestan all have hardworking people engaged in healthy competition. In response to Tsarukyan's comments, Topuria called the lightweight contender "incredibly stupid" and "a complete child," claiming Tsarukyan spends his father's money and would get his jaw broken in the first round if they fought. Additional updates included Tsarukyan discussing a potential Volkanovski bout, Demetrious Johnson predicting Chimaev's victory over O'Malley, Benoit Saint-Denis announcing a fight with Paddy Pimblett via social media post featuring roast beef, and Bogdan Guskov declining a fight with Baranyevski.
