Topuria and Makhachev dispute who rejected White House fight offer

Ilia Topuria claimed he was informed hours before the White House event card announcement that he would fight Islam Makhachev, but was then told Makhachev sustained an injury and he would instead face Justin Gaethje. Topuria questioned why Makhachev seems reluctant to fight him. Islam Makhachev responded by calling Topuria's version fabricated, stating that he accepted the White House fight when offered but was told the next day that Topuria demanded an enormous purse and was turned down. Makhachev insisted that Topuria's own manager confirmed this version of events and accused the featherweight champion of lying. In a separate exchange, when a fan told Ali Abdelaziz to go to sleep at 4 AM, Makhachev clarified that it was not Abdelaziz posting on his behalf. The conflicting accounts leave the truth about who rejected the proposed matchup unclear.