Ilia Topuria stated that he was informed hours before the White House event announcement that he would fight Islam Makhachev, only to receive a call shortly before the public reveal saying Makhachev was injured and he would face Gaethe instead. Topuria expressed confusion about why Makhachev doesn't want to fight him. Makhachev responded by saying he is tired of Topuria's fabrications, claiming he accepted the White House fight but was told the next day that Topuria demanded a huge fee and was denied. Makhachev insisted that Topuria was the one who refused the fight. In other news, Jorge Masvidal and Orion Cosce picked Sean Strickland over Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal calling Chimaev's style "sitting and smelling crotches." Dricus du Plessis named Israel Adesanya as his most technical opponent, with Sean Strickland and Brad Tavares as the toughest, notably excluding Chimaev because du Plessis doesn't consider their meeting a real fight. UFC 327 fighters have earned a combined 92 bonuses throughout their careers.
Saturday, April 11, 2026
