Topuria and Makhachev exchange accusations over White House event fight

Ilia Topuria claimed he was initially told he would fight Islam Makhachev at the White House event but that Makhachev withdrew due to injury hours before the announcement, leading to Topuria being matched with Justin Gaethje instead. Makhachev responded by stating he agreed to the fight but that Topuria requested an excessive fee and was denied, causing the bout to fall through. Makhachev accused Topuria and his team of lying about the situation. The back-and-forth occurred on social media, with Makhachev posting his response at 4 a.m., though he clarified it wasn't his manager Ali Abdelaziz posting. A fan commented on the late-night timing of the exchange.