Topuria says he won't be stripped if moving to welterweight to fight Makhachev

Ilia Topuria stated that if he moves up to welterweight to face Islam Makhachev, he will not be stripped of his lightweight title, as he plans to continue defending the 145-pound belt. Topuria also expressed disappointment in Paddy Pimblett's performance against Gaethje, saying he knew Pimblett was a poor fighter but didn't realize the extent. Meanwhile, Jiří Procházka revealed he still hasn't moved past his loss even after the birth of his child, claiming he was at 40-50% capacity after his injury and fought in sparring mode, waiting for the referee to stop the bout. Magomed Ankalaev, through manager Abdelaziz, called out Khalil Rountree, saying Rountree doesn't need wrestling training with Chimaev because Ankalaev plans to give him a 25-minute striking masterclass. UFC announced several new matchups appealing to hardcore fans, including a tough assignment for Cory Sandhagen against Batista instead of O'Malley.