Topuria confident of keeping lightweight title if he moves up to face Makhachev

Ilia Topuria has stated that if he moves up to welterweight to fight Islam Makhachev, he will not be stripped of his lightweight title, as he plans to continue defending the 155-pound belt. Topuria also expressed disappointment in how Paddy Pimblett performed against Gage, saying he knew Pimblett was a poor fighter but did not realize the extent. Meanwhile, Jiri Prochazka remains haunted by his recent loss even after the birth of his child, claiming he was at 40-50% capacity due to injury and was operating in sparring mode, waiting for the referee to intervene. Magomed Ankalaev, through manager Abdel Aziz, called out Khalil Rountree, saying Rountree does not need the wrestling training he is doing with Khamzat Chimaev and promising to deliver a 25-minute striking masterclass if Rountree can last that long.