Ilia Topuria claimed he was originally scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev at the White House event but that Makhachev pulled out hours before the announcement due to injury, leading to Justin Gaethje being substituted as Topuria's opponent. Makhachev responded by calling Topuria's account fabricated, stating he agreed to the White House fight but was told Topuria demanded an enormous purse and was denied. Makhachev insisted Topuria refused the fight and that even Topuria's manager confirmed this version. In other news, Jorge Masvidal and Joe Pyfer both picked Sean Strickland to defeat Khamzat Chimaev, with Masvidal criticizing Chimaev's wrestling-heavy style and Pyfer declining to elaborate due to dislike of Chimaev. Dricus du Plessis named Israel Adesanya as his most technical opponent and Sean Strickland and Brad Tavares as his toughest, notably excluding Chimaev from consideration as he doesn't count their brief encounter as a real fight. UFC 327 competitors have earned a combined 92 performance bonuses in their careers.
Saturday, April 11, 2026
