Ilia Topuria criticizes Paddy Pimblett, plans lightweight defense, Ankalaev calls out Rountree

Ilia Topuria expressed disappointment in Paddy Pimblett's performance against Giga Chikadze, saying he knew Pimblett was a poor fighter but didn't realize how bad. Topuria also stated that if he moves up to welterweight to fight Islam Makhachev, he will not be stripped of the lightweight title because he plans to continue defending it. Jiri Prochazka revealed he is still haunted by his recent loss even after his child's birth, claiming he fought at 40-50 percent capacity due to injury. Magomed Ankalaev, through manager Ali Abdelaziz, called out Khalil Rountree, offering a striking masterclass and questioning whether Rountree could last 25 minutes. The UFC also made several announcements and matched Cory Sandhagen with Batista instead of O'Malley.