Topuria and Makhachev dispute who declined White House fight

Ilia Topuria claims he was scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev at the White House card but Makhachev pulled out with an injury hours before the announcement, leading to his matchup with Justin Gaethje instead. Topuria stated he went to sleep knowing he would fight Makhachev before being told of the injury. Islam Makhachev responded by saying he's tired of Topuria's lies, claiming he agreed to the fight but Topuria's team demanded too large a fee and was denied by the UFC. Makhachev stated that even Topuria's manager confirmed this version of events. The back-and-forth represents an ongoing dispute between the lightweight champion and featherweight champion about who actually declined the potential superfight. One fan joked about the late-night timing of Makhachev's response, to which he replied that his manager Ali Abdelaziz wasn't the one posting this time.