Topuria and Makhachev exchange accusations over White House fight negotiations

Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev have engaged in a public dispute over who refused their potential matchup that was to be announced at the White House event. Topuria claims he was told hours before the White House card announcement that he would fight Makhachev, but was later informed that Islam got injured and he would instead face Justin Gaethje. Makhachev countered by stating that he agreed to the fight, but Topuria's team requested an excessive purse and were turned down, claiming even Topuria's manager confirmed this version. The lightweight champion posted his response at 4 AM, prompting a fan to tell him to go to sleep, to which Makhachev replied it wasn't Ali Abdelaziz posting. Additionally, Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce both picked Sean Strickland to defeat Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal criticizing Chimaev's wrestling-heavy style. Dricus Du Plessis also commented that Israel Adesanya was his most technical opponent, while Strickland and Paulo Costa were his hardest hitters, notably excluding Chimaev from these categories as he doesn't consider their encounter a real fight.