Tsarukyan targets Topuria, vows minimum five title defenses if he wins gold

Arman Tsarukyan stated he would like Diego Lopes to miss weight so he could fight Ilia Topuria instead, declaring his goal is to throw Topuria out of the UFC. Tsarukyan also vowed he will not stop until he has at least five UFC title defenses once he becomes champion. Merab Dvalishvili clarified he has no issues with Dagestani fighters except Umar Nurmagomedov, saying he simply doesn't like that particular fighter while respecting the competition from fighters of Armenia, Georgia, Chechnya and Dagestan. Topuria responded to Tsarukyan by calling him incredibly stupid and stating he would break his jaw in the first round if they ever meet. Benoit Saint-Denis appeared to announce a fight with Paddy Pimblett by posting a picture of roast beef (an English dish) to social media. Demetrious Johnson predicted a confident victory for Khamzat Chimaev over Sean Strickland, while Bogdan Guskov declined a fight with Josh Parisian.