Topuria and Makhachev dispute who turned down White House event fight

Ilia Topuria claims he was scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev at the White House event but was told hours before the announcement that Makhachev suffered an injury and he would face Justin Gaethje instead. Topuria stated he went to sleep knowing he would fight Makhachev but received a call shortly before the official announcement informing him of the change. In response, Makhachev refuted these claims, stating he agreed to the White House fight when contacted but was then told Topuria demanded a huge fee and was denied, leading UFC to move on. The lightweight champion insisted Topuria's manager confirmed this version of events and accused the featherweight of lying. Additionally, the post mentions that Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier have both picked Sean Strickland to defeat Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal calling Chimaev's style "sitting and smelling crotches." Dricus du Plessis also commented that Israel Adesanya was his most technical opponent, while Strickland and Tavares were his toughest, notably excluding Chimaev because he doesn't consider their brief encounter a real fight.