Topuria and Makhachev dispute who declined White House card fight

Ilia Topuria claims he was told hours before the White House event announcement that he would fight Islam Makhachev, only to learn Makhachev was injured and he would face Justin Gaethje instead. Makhachev countered that he accepted the fight but Topuria demanded an excessive fee and was denied by the UFC, with Topuria's manager allegedly confirming this version. The back-and-forth escalated on social media, with Makhachev posting at 4 AM and clarifying it was actually him, not his manager Ali Abdelaziz. Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce both picked Sean Strickland over Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal calling Chimaev's style "sitting and smelling crotches." Dricus du Plessis named Israel Adesanya as his most technical opponent and Sean Strickland and Brad Tavares as his toughest, notably omitting Chimaev because he doesn't consider their brief encounter a real fight.