UFC 327 is in the books, and Carlos Ulberg is the new light heavyweight champion.
On Saturday, things looked to be going horribly for Ulberg, who suffered what appears to be a serious knee injury just a few minutes into the bout, but with his back against the wall, Ulberg shocked Jiri Prochazka, knocking him out with a left hook and follow-up shots as Prochazka got overly aggressive against the injured Ulberg.
On top of that, Paulo Costa became a player at 205 pounds, Josh Hokit arrived in emphatic
fashion, and much more, so let’s dive into all the biggest takeaways from UFC 327.
1. What’s your blurb review of UFC 327?
Heck: I’m not here to say the UFC is super back, but it felt like a big momentum shift — well, outside of one really awful fight.
Martin: The best “pay-per-view” card of the year so far, and it’s not even remotely close.
Meshew: One (disastrous) fight away from being a perfect event.
Lee: UFC Vegas 114 and 115, UFC Seattle, and now UFC 327, that’s a pretty good group of shows over the past five weeks. And Saturday might have been the best of them. The UFC is back!
2. Did Jiri Prochazka throw that fight away, or did Carlos Ulberg win it?
Heck: Can it be both? Because that’s what happened.
But if you’re making me get off the fence, I’m going to lean towards the former because Jiri Prochazka had the title won. It was right there. Another leg kick or two, and he’s the one bringing the belt home on a super long fight on the other side of the globe. But this is MMA, and while my answer is more on one side, what Carlos Ulberg did with the opportunity was absolutely insane, and an incredible moment.
If you didn’t see the moment on the Watch Party, here it is, because we — more so, Jed — didn’t think it was possible.
Ulberg is the freaking champion of the world, but how long will he be out for?
Martin: It really is a bit of both, but it’s impossible not to give Ulberg credit for somehow gutting out his victory after blowing out his knee just seconds into the fight.
Watching those replays and seeing Ulberg’s knee literally pop as he took an awkward misstep was tough to see, and it felt like he was doomed to either get finished or somehow make it to the end of the round, where there was even less of a chance he’d be allowed to continue. It was the anticlimactic conclusion the light heavyweight division definitely didn’t need, especially after Alex Pereira vacated the title to pursue a third belt at heavyweight.
But instead, Prochazka lost focus for just a moment — he says he showed “mercy,” but it looked more like he felt the win was almost inevitable considering his opponent was hobbling on one leg — and that’s when Ulberg somehow uncorked a perfectly timed left hook that ended the fight. Generating that kind of power without being able to plant on his back leg is remarkable, and Ulberg deserves all the praise for somehow snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
Meshew: While I think there is a case for blaming Prochazka for Saturday’s outcome — had he simply waited until the end of the round, Ulberg’s corner may well have stopped the fight — I simply refuse to take the greatest victory of Ulberg’s career away from him. Yes, Jiri didn’t take a win that was right there, but he only didn’t because Ulberg took it from him.
Ulberg was on his last leg, literally, and instead of giving up or wallowing in self-pity, Ulberg kept his head in the game, kept doing what he could do, waited for his opportunity, and when Prochazka got stupid, Ulberg landed the shot he needed. And then, he buried Jiri. Other fighters might have hurt Jiri and let him off the hook, but Ulberg took his broken self and finished the thing.
Carlos Ulberg won the fight.
Lee: Prochazka is truly unpredictable, so I have no idea why I was so confident he would win this fight by knockout. It’s impossible to tell when he’ll be thrown off his game by evil spirits, or a spontaneous message from his ancestors, or, in this instance, an ill-timed fit of mercy.
I can’t prove it, but I swear Prochazka was almost encouraging Ulberg to continue after seeing him injured. Like, “Come on, Carlos, yeah, keep fighting. You can do it!” Love the sportsmanship, but not when it results in you getting crowned in absurd fashion. Sorry to both men, but Jiri blew it.
3. Was Josh Hokit vs. Curtis Blaydes Fight of the Year?
Heck: Yes, yes, and HECK yes.
Folks, I’m not here to tell you this was Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit, or some sort of technical masterpiece, but if you missed this fight, fire up your Paramount+ right now and watch it. But you should probably watch Dominick Reyes vs. Johnny Walker before it to get the full effect of the moment.
UFC 327 was in an interesting place. The prelims were pretty darn good. We got finishes from fighters who haven’t finished fights in years, and then we got the incredible Cub Swanson swan song. Then, the damn bell rang for Reyes vs. Walker, and it sucked the life out of everything and everybody. UFC 327 needed a hero, and they found it… in Curtis Blaydes and Josh Hokit?
From the second that fight started, they just beat six shades of crap out of each other. Exhausted, battered, bruised, and bloody, they just kept going, and Hokit got the win, got respect from the masses, and Blaydes can take solace in being in one of the five greatest heavyweight fights in the history of the UFC.
Martin: So far, this heavyweight slugfest is winning in a shutout against the competition for Fight of the Year, but it’s only April, so there’s still time for somebody else to eventually steal the show, although it’s not going to be easy to trump Blaydes vs. Hokit.
Nobody is ever going to call this fight a technical masterpiece, but watching two gassed heavyweights beat the hell out of each other for 15 minutes sure was entertaining. The first round saw Hokit blast Blaydes early and nearly get him out of there, but the one-time interim heavyweight title challenger survived and nearly scored a finish of his own.
It appeared Hokit was exhausted after that opening five minutes, but he somehow stormed back in both rounds two and three as he dished out punishment to Blaydes in almost every exchange. Blaydes refused to go away, and he showed that he could engage in an epic war for three rounds.
Sure, it was sloppy, but that’s usually a word to describe a terrible heavyweight fight between two exhausted fighters. Hokit and Blaydes redefined the meaning of a “sloppy slugfest” with the sheer will and determination they displayed at UFC 327.
Nobody else has even come close to that yet in 2026.
Meshew: Unquestionably. Plus, it gets extra points for coming off the heels of one of the worst fights of 2026.
As my colleagues noted, this wasn’t the most beautiful display of MMA skill ever, but it was a brilliant display of the hearts and wills of both men. And when you consider that Hokit dragged a Fight of the Year out of Curtis Blaydes of all people, it becomes even more impressive.
For most of the buildup to UFC 327, the big story around this fight was that Hokit was doing too much with his bad Chael Sonnen impression. And while I think he could still dial that back a bit, if you’re going to fight like that, it doesn’t matter if you act like an 80’s pro wrestler. Hokit had a star-making performance on Saturday, and we’ve got to respect that.
Lee: You’re damn right it was. And the fact that it happened in the moribund heavyweight division made it even better. Hokit proved to be the perfect dance partner for Blaydes, bringing out a side of him that I’m certain Blaydes didn’t even know existed.
All this bad boy was missing was one of the fighters collapsing at the end like Dada 5000.
4. Aside from the main event, who was the biggest winner at UFC 327?
Heck: Paulo Costa, because in one fight at 205, he probably is fighting for some kind of belt next — especially if Ulberg is on the shelf for a bit.
I was tempted to go with Khamzat Chimaev here for almost the exact same reason, because if he beats Sean Strickland, he is 100 percent fighting for some share of the title at 205. But Costa looked damn good at this new weight class — better than he’s ever looked at 185, to be quite honest. The second round looked dicey, but Costa battled through it and finished Murzakanov in the third.
I know he says he wants to win two belts and go back to 185, but that’s a horrible idea. Costa punched his ticket to either an interim title fight if Ulberg is out, or, in my opinion, he’s just getting the first crack at Ulberg.
Martin: It has to be Aaron Pico after there was legitimate concern that a second knockout loss could potentially end his UFC career before it ever really got started.
Getting highlight reel knocked out by Lerone Murphy — a guy whose entire UFC career has been built around winning decisions — in his debut put Pico in an impossibly tough spot for his sophomore outing. Pico has repeatedly been called one of the most talented prospects to ever transition into MMA, but thus far, his valleys have been far more devastating than his peaks. He’s deaded some good competition over the years, but Pico never put together the kind of win streak that allowed him to become champion, and after falling to Murphy in his octagon debut, there was a real concern that his explosive and aggressive style and questionable durability were going to spell his doom.
But instead, Pico showed why there was so much hype around him before he ever threw a single punch.
He picked Patricio Pitbull apart, mixing fast, powerful strikes on the feet and then executing several well-timed takedowns to keep the former Bellator champion guessing. He didn’t get the finish, but in a weird way, Pico needed to do that across three rounds just to prove he could stick to his game plan and not make a mistake that cost him the fight.
Pico just needs to keep up with these kinds of performances moving forward, and he immediately puts every featherweight on notice that a new contender has arrived.
Meshew: Cub Swanson, baby! WEC Never Die!
I have been an MMA fan for 25 years, and for almost the entirety of that time, there’s been one immutable truth for the sport: careers end on harsh, brutal terms. Basically, no fighter walks away at the top of the sport, and very, very few fighters even walk away on a good note. Mostly, fighters leave the sport when the losses become too numerous to ignore, forced out of the only thing they know.
There have been a few exceptions, and those are bright beacons of joy in an otherwise morose landscape of sadness. And on Saturday, Cub Swanson added his light to the list of happy endings. Cubby never fought for a title, and he’s probably going to be forgotten by most fans in the next 10 years, but the man is the sort of fighter all fighters should aspire to be. He delivered nothing but bangers over his career, is a Hall of Famer, and is widely respected by his peers.
The sport was made better by Cub Swanson’s presence, and I’m thrilled he gets to walk off on his own terms and in good form.
Lee: It’s Hokit.
I was as critical as anyone of his media day antics, which included a handful of overtly racist jokes that I think a lot of people missed, but also well aware that he was doing one of the most essential things you can do as a combat sports athlete, and that’s have people talking about you. And we did.
The next most important thing is to win, and you better believe he did that as well, and in spectacular fashion. Hokit’s potential was never in question, but his bizarre behavior threatened to overshadow his talent before he stepped into the cage for the biggest opportunity of his young career. As soon as the bell sounded, though, Hokit made sure what we’d be talking about the most is his unbelievable pace and toughness, which helped him to a win over a top 10 opponent and an extra $200K in bonuses.
As for the antics, mileage may vary, but Hokit seemed to hit the right note post-fight with another elaborate promo that showed off some impressive memory and stamina for a guy who just survived the fight of his life.
5. Who was the biggest loser at UFC 327?
Heck: Because of how UFC 327 ended, my pick is a bit off the board: Magomed Ankalaev.
The UFC has never really been on the “Hey, let’s push this Ankalaev guy to the top” train, and after getting obliterated in seconds by Alex Pereira in the rematch of their pretty forgettable first fight, I have a hard time believing they will change course. But now that Paulo Costa has a really good win, and now that Ulberg could be on the DL for maybe a year if his injury is what we think it is, Ankalaev feels the brunt of that more than anybody else.
Is it fair? No. Will “Big Ank” have to get another win (probably two, possibly more) before finding himself in consideration? 100 percent. And the timing couldn’t be worse, because, again, if Chimaev wins next month, he’s moving up and jumping over Ankalaev. Costa has already leapfrogged Ankalaev in the UFC matchmaking world. If Alex Pereira loses to Ciryl Gane, he’s probably coming back down, and he, too, leapfrogs Ankalaev, and who knows what else could happen before Ulberg can fight again. Very, very tough spot for Ankalaev to be in, fair or not.
Martin: Azamat Murzakanov had a rare opportunity to put himself in title contention on Saturday night with a statement win, but instead, his night ended with a head kick knockout loss to a career middleweight in Paulo Costa.
Despite a top 10 ranking and a perfect 16-0 record, including five knockouts in six fights in the UFC, Murzakanov always felt like he was slipping under the radar when it came to his potential to become a champion. He possessed a fan-friendly style that produced great finishes, but Murzakanov just never seemed like a contender that was a win or two away from a title shot.
That could have changed at UFC 327, especially after Murzakanov’s fight got bumped to the co-main event, but instead, he struggled to deal with Costa’s range and power before he got finished in the third round. At 37, Murzakanov doesn’t have age on his side, where he could just bounce back with a win or two, although light heavyweight is still pretty dreadful, so anything is possible. It’s just not going to be easy for him, especially after a fight like that.
Meshew: We can’t know for sure, but I’m going with Bruce Buffer, because for the second time in three weeks, Buffer erroneously announced a winner.
At UFC Seattle, Buffer botched the official decision in the Tyrell Fortune-Marcin Tybura fight, declaring Tybura the winner. The misstep lasted long enough for Fortune to even leave the cage before the UFC sorted it out, brought him back, and corrected the record.
Well, Buffer did one worse on Saturday, incorrectly announcing Chris Padilla as the winner in his prelim fight with MarQuel Mederos, when the true outcome was a draw. But unlike in Seattle, this time, the UFC didn’t catch the mistake quickly enough to correct it in the cage, announcing the situation later during the broadcast.
Maybe it’s not Buffer’s fault, but it’s still a real tough look for the longtime ring announcer.
Lee: OK, I guess we have to stop trying to make Loopy happen.
Ms. Godinez is unquestionably talented, and has always endeared herself to fans and matchmakers alike with her willingness to fight anyone, anywhere, and with the same aggressive style every time, but her loss to Tatiana Suarez puts a clear ceiling on her potential. At 32, there’s still plenty of time for her to make a run; it’s just hard to imagine giving the sample size we have. She’s 9-6 in the UFC after Saturday, and has consistently lost to top strawweights. That title shot isn’t coming anytime soon.
As harsh as it sounds, that near-finish of Suarez in the opening moments of their fight might have been the peak of the Loopy Godinez experience.
