Topuria and Makhachev dispute what derailed their potential White House bout

Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev have publicly contradicted each other regarding why their proposed fight at the White House event did not materialize. Topuria claims he was told hours before the announcement that he would fight Makhachev, but then received a call saying Islam was injured and he would instead face Justin Gaethje. He expressed confusion about why Makhachev doesn't want to fight him. Makhachev responded by saying he accepted the White House fight offer but was told the next day that Topuria had demanded a huge purse and been denied. Islam stated he is tired of hearing fabrications from Topuria and his team, asserting that Topuria refused the bout and knows it. In a notable exchange, when a fan suggested Ali Abdelaziz was posting on Makhachev's behalf at 4 AM, Islam replied "Today it's not him," suggesting he was personally responding.