Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev dispute who turned down White House fight

Ilia Topuria claimed he knew hours before the official White House event announcement that he would fight Islam Makhachev, but was then told Makhachev was injured and he would face Justin Gaethje instead. Topuria stated he doesn't understand why Makhachev won't fight him and called the situation strange. Islam Makhachev responded by saying he's tired of the lies from Topuria and his team, claiming he agreed to the fight but Topuria requested an enormous fee and was denied. Makhachev stated that even Topuria's manager confirmed this version of events. When a fan commented it was 4 AM and Makhachev should sleep, the fighter cryptically replied it wasn't him posting. The conflicting accounts have created controversy over who actually turned down the proposed matchup. Both fighters are accusing each other of dishonesty regarding negotiations for what would have been a major superfight.