Topuria and Makhachev dispute who turned down White House fight

Ilia Topuria claimed he was scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev at the White House event but was told hours before the announcement that Makhachev was injured and he would instead face Justin Gaethje. Topuria stated he went to bed knowing the Makhachev fight was happening but received a call changing the matchup just before the public reveal. In response, Islam Makhachev denied the injury claim and stated he accepted the White House fight, but Topuria's team demanded a massive purse and were denied, leading to the fight falling through. Makhachev insisted that Topuria turned down the bout and accused him of lying, saying even Topuria's manager confirmed the true sequence of events. Makhachev also clarified that his manager Ali Abdelaziz was not the one posting on his behalf this time. The back-and-forth has created confusion about who actually rejected the potential super-fight.