Ilia Topuria expressed disappointment in Paddy Pimblett's recent fight against Renato Moicano, stating he knew Pimblett was limited as a 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 at 155 pounds. Jiri Prochazka discussed his recent loss, saying he was only at 40-50% capacity after his injury and was fighting in sparring mode while waiting for the referee to intervene. Magomed Ankalaev, through manager Ali Abdelaziz, challenged Khalil Rountree to a striking-focused fight, suggesting Rountree doesn't need the wrestling training he's been doing with Khamzat Chimaev. The UFC also announced several matchups including a difficult test for Cory Sandhagen against Raul Rosas Jr instead of Sean O'Malley.
