Topuria says he won't be stripped if moving to 170; Prochazka blames injury

Ilia Topuria stated that if he moves up to welterweight to fight Islam Makhachev, he will not be stripped of his featherweight title because he plans to continue defending the 145-pound belt. Topuria also expressed disappointment in Paddy Pimblett's recent performance, saying he knew Pimblett was a poor fighter but didn't realize how bad. Separately, Jiri Prochazka revealed he hasn't moved past his title loss even after the birth of his child, claiming he was at only 40-50% capacity due to injury and fought in sparring mode, waiting for the referee to stop the bout. Magomed Ankalaev also called out Khalil Rountree via his manager Abdelaziz, offering a 25-minute striking masterclass.