Topuria criticizes Pimblett's performance, plans to defend lightweight title

Ilia Topuria expressed disappointment with Paddy Pimblett's recent fight against Gage, stating he knew Pimblett was a poor fighter but didn't realize the extent. Topuria revealed 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 145-pound belt. Meanwhile, Jiri Prochazka remains haunted by his recent loss even after the birth of his child, claiming he was operating at 40-50% capacity due to injury and was in sparring mode waiting for the referee to stop the fight. Magomed Ankalaev, through Abdel Aziz, challenged Khalil Rountree, saying he wants to give him a 25-minute striking masterclass if Rountree can last that long. UFC announced several new fights for hardcore fans, including a challenging matchup for Cory Sandhagen against Umar Nurmagomedov instead of Sean O'Malley.