Ilia Topuria claims he was told just hours before the White House card announcement that his fight with Islam Makhachev was cancelled due to Makhachev's injury, and he would face Gaethje instead. Makhachev fired back, saying he agreed to the fight but was told the next day that Topuria demanded a huge fee and was denied. Makhachev insists Topuria refused the bout and is lying about the situation. Meanwhile, Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce picked Sean Strickland over Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal calling Chimaev's style "sitting and sniffing crotches." Dricus Du Plessis named Adesanya as his most technical opponent and Strickland and Tavares as the hardest hitters, but did not consider his meeting with Chimaev a real fight. UFC 327 fighters have earned a combined 92 bonuses heading into the event.
A public dispute between Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev has spilled into the open ahead of UFC 327, with both fighters offering sharply conflicting accounts of why their anticipated superfight fell apart before it was ever announced.
Topuria says he was informed just hours before the White House card was revealed that his bout with Makhachev had been scrapped due to Makhachev suffering an injury, and that he would instead be matched against Justin Gaethje. Makhachev pushed back hard, claiming he had agreed to face Topuria but was then told the following day that the Georgian demanded an outsized financial package that the promotion declined to meet. Makhachev has publicly accused Topuria of turning down the fight and misrepresenting what happened.
The UFC 327 card itself carries significant weight in the middleweight division. Sean Strickland, the reigning middleweight champion, holds a 31-7 record and lands an eye-catching 6.04 significant strikes per minute while fighting out of Xtreme Couture. The 35-year-old American received endorsements this week from both Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce, who each picked him to defeat Khamzat Chimaev. Masvidal was particularly colorful in his criticism of Chimaev's grappling-heavy approach.
Dricus Du Plessis, the number-two-ranked middleweight contender and number seven pound-for-pound, weighed in on the divisional landscape as well. The 32-year-old South African, who carries a 23-3 record and averages 5.18 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy, named Israel Adesanya as his most technically demanding opponent. He pointed to Strickland and Brad Tavares as the hardest hitters he has faced, while declining to categorize his previous encounter with Chimaev as a genuine fight.
Why it matters
- The Topuria-Makhachev dispute leaves a potential superfight unresolved with no clear path forward
- Strickland defending gold at UFC 327 carries major divisional stakes at middleweight
- Du Plessis, ranked directly behind the champion, shapes the division's contender picture with his comments
- Fighters competing at UFC 327 have combined for 92 career post-fight bonuses heading into the event
Saturday, April 11, 2026
