Topuria and Makhachev dispute details about scrapped White House fight

Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev are publicly disagreeing over why their planned White House event fight fell through. Topuria claims he knew he would fight Makhachev and went to sleep expecting that announcement, but was told hours before the official reveal that Islam suffered an injury and he would fight Gaethje instead. Makhachev countered that he agreed to the White House bout when contacted, but was told the next day that Topuria requested a huge purse and was denied, resulting in the fight's cancellation. Islam insists Topuria knows he refused the bout and should stop lying, claiming even Topuria's manager confirmed this version. In a late-night response, Makhachev added that his manager Ali Abdelaziz was not the one posting for him at that moment. The conflicting accounts create uncertainty about who actually turned down the high-profile matchup.