Ilia Topuria expressed disappointment in Paddy Pimblett's performance against Giga, stating he knew Pimblett was poor but underestimated just how much. Topuria confirmed 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 at 145 pounds. Meanwhile, Jiri Prochazka revealed he cannot let go of his recent loss even after his child's birth, claiming he was at only 40-50% capacity after injury and waiting for the referee to stop the fight. Magomed Ankalaev (via Abdelaziz) called out Khalil Rountree, claiming he only needs to demonstrate high-level striking for 25 minutes if Rountree can last that long. The UFC has announced several matchups appealing to hardcore fans, including a challenging bout for Cory Sandhagen against Umar Nurmagomedov instead of Sean O'Malley.
