Arman Tsarukyan stated that he would like to fight Ilia Topuria if Justin Gaethje were to withdraw from a scheduled bout. Tsarukyan expressed his goal of knocking Topuria out of the UFC, saying this is his personal objective. He also declared he will only stop when he achieves at least five UFC title defenses. Meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili commented that he has no issues with Dagestani fighters except Umar Nurmagomedov, whom he dislikes. Topuria responded with harsh criticism of Tsarukyan, calling him unintelligent and claiming he would break his jaw in the first round. Additionally, Benoit Saint-Denis announced a fight with Paddy Pimblett by posting a roast beef image on social media, and Bogdan Guskov declined a fight with Baraniewski.
