Topuria and Makhachev exchange conflicting accounts of failed White House fight

Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev have offered contradictory explanations for why their proposed fight at the White House event fell through. Topuria claimed he went to bed knowing the Makhachev fight was set to be announced, but hours before the announcement he was told Makhachev had suffered an injury and that he would instead face Justin Gaethje. He expressed confusion about why Makhachev doesn't want to fight him. Makhachev countered by stating he accepted the White House fight offer immediately, but the next day was told that Topuria requested an enormous fee and was denied, leading to the fight being scrapped. Makhachev told Topuria to stop lying, noting that even Topuria's manager had confirmed this version of events. In a curious exchange, when a fan commented at 4 AM telling Ali Abdelaziz to go to sleep, Makhachev clarified "Today it's not him," suggesting someone else was managing his account. The post also noted that Jorge Masvidal and Dennis Paifer both picked Sean Strickland to beat Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal calling Chimaev's style "sitting and smelling crotches."