Topuria and Makhachev dispute White House event fight negotiations

Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev have provided conflicting accounts of why their White House event bout fell through. Topuria claims he went to sleep knowing the fight with Makhachev was announced, but received a call hours before the official announcement stating Makhachev was injured and he would instead face Justin Gaethje. Topuria expressed confusion about why Makhachev doesn't want to fight him. In response, Makhachev stated he is tired of lies from Topuria's camp, saying he agreed to the White House fight when called, but was told the next day that Topuria demanded a huge purse and was denied. Makhachev noted that even Topuria's manager confirmed this version. When a fan suggested Makhachev's manager Ali Abdelaziz was posting from his account at 4 AM, Makhachev cryptically responded "today it's not him." The conflicting narratives leave the true reason for the fight's collapse unclear.