Dana White Dismisses Rumours of Scrapped UFC White House Main Event
UFC president Dana White has firmly denied a report that a highly anticipated fight between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria was originally scheduled for the unprecedented White House event on 14 June. The card was confirmed on Saturday night, with Topuria defending his lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event, but speculation had swirled about a different headline bout.
Confusion Over Cancelled Fight and Last-Minute Changes
Earlier in the week, White hinted that a fight had fallen through at the eleventh hour, leading to fan theories and media reports. Marca journalist Irati Prat specifically claimed that Makhachev versus Topuria was the planned match-up for the White House card. However, at the UFC 326 post-fight press conference on Saturday, White refuted this, stating the bout was never in the works.
"That's not true [that Makhachev was going to fight Topuria]," said White, 56. "It was never Islam vs Topuria. Don't worry about what fights are being made; we announce which ones are made and which ones will be happening."
White elaborated on the chaotic circumstances, revealing that his team worked late into the night to finalise the card. "I told you there were some weird circumstances [as] the reason that fight fell out [...] All the boys went back to the office and literally were there 'til 9 in the morning, and that's how Gaethje ended up on the card. And Topuria wasn't originally supposed to be on the card either, so he got the call, too."
Justin Gaethje's Unexpected Call-Up and Injury Concerns
Gaethje himself confirmed the last-minute nature of his inclusion, describing a rollercoaster of communications. "Two days ago, I got a call and they said, 'You're definitely not fighting on the White House card, so I was like: 'Oof.' And then yesterday, I got a call and they said: 'You might hear something, you might be on the White House card.' I was like, 'How are you gonna do a complete 180 turn on me?', and then today, I found out that I was on it. I didn't know if I was main event or not."
White acknowledged Gaethje's account, saying, "That is true [that Gaethje was brought in on late notice]." Meanwhile, Makhachev's absence is attributed to injury, with White noting, "I don't know [when Makhachev will return]; he's got some hand issues, I know that. I don't know how serious the hand issues are or how long that will keep him out, but yeah, he's injured."
Background on the Dream Fight That Hasn't Materialised
Topuria has publicly sought a showdown with Makhachev for some time, but the match has remained elusive. Topuria vacated the featherweight title in February last year to move up to lightweight, targeting the belt then held by Makhachev. However, the Russian relinquished the lightweight strap in May, shifting focus to welterweight gold.
In June, Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant lightweight title. Makhachev, in November, dominated Jack Della Maddalena to win the welterweight belt. With Topuria taking a break from MMA for personal reasons, the UFC organised an interim-title fight between Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett in January, which Gaethje won decisively on points.
The co-main event for the White House card features Alex Pereira against Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title, as regular champion Tom Aspinall recovers from an eye injury sustained from Gane's eye pokes in October. Despite promises of the greatest card in UFC history, some fans have expressed disappointment, longing for bouts like Makhachev versus Topuria or Pereira against all-time great Jon Jones.
