Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is making its return to the “Sunshine State” for its latest (but not greatest) numbered event, UFC 327, going down this Sat. night (April 11, 2026) on Paramount+ from inside Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. UFC 327 will be headlined by the vacant light heavyweight title fight pitting former champion Jiri Prochazka against No. 3-ranked title challenger Carlos Ulberg, a five-round battle for the belt left behind by now-heavyweight title challenger Alex Pereira.
We had a fun championship co-main event but that recently went up in smoke due to injury.
Taking over the second-to-last slot is the 205-pound showdown between one-time middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa and “Professional” knockout artist Azamat Murzakanov. Elsewhere on the card, heavyweight goofball Josh Hokit looks to prove he’s more than just cringey promos when he collides with Top 5 contender Curtis Blaydes. In addition, former light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes will attempt get back into the win column opposite Johnny Walker, while Nate Landwehr tries to ruin the featherweight retirement party of Cub Swanson.
Who wins and who loses? That’s what we’re here to figure out.
205 lbs.: Jiri “BJP” Prochazka (32-5-1) vs. Carlos “Black Jag” Ulberg (13-1)
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has seven post-fight performance bonuses in eight UFC fights, including a pair of “Fight of the Night” payouts. That should tell you everything you need to know about the style of “BJP,” who has destroyed everyone except Alex Pereira in his time under the UFC banner. Prochazka is coming into the fight on the strength of back-to-back knockout wins over Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr., giving the Czech destroyer a staggering 28 knockouts in 32 wins. The former RIZIN headliner won the 205-pound title by submitting Glover Teixeira, so the threat of submission is certainly there, but Prochazka likes to stand and bang using one of the strangest (some say dysfunctional) styles in all of MMA. Aleksander Rakic used to refer to it as “fake samurai shit” … right up until “Rocket” got KTFO by Prochazka at UFC 300 in Las Vegas.
As real as it gets.
“It’s a great matchup, two stand-up guys, good styles, both of them — one crazy, chaotic guy who likes to end every fight, and the second side is a very systematic fighter who is very precise and who has the patience to wait for his moment,” Prochazka told UFC.com. “From my side, from my point of view, this is the opponent that I really need, because he’s fast, he loves to move on the legs. Lots of left hands, checking the jab and hook, all these things. And this is what I like to have as an opponent. I see him as a really dangerous animal that I like to hunt. I have to be precise, I have to be really patient, I have to pay attention to all of his sharp weapons. Do not underestimate him, any action, every action, for 200 percent. So yeah, that’s why I like this matchup.”
Carlos Ulberg was torched by Kennedy Nzechukwu in his UFC debut back in early 2021, which spoiled a tremendous effort from “Black Jag” on Dana White’s “Contender Series.” Undaunted, the 35 year-old Kiwi quietly put together a nine-fight winning streak with six violent finishes, bagging a trio of post-fight performance bonuses along the way. Unlike Prochazka, who relies on his unpredictability, the once-beaten Ulberg is a more straightforward striker which comes with consequences, as we saw against Jan Blachowicz at UFC London (a fight Blachowicz insists he won). To be fair, Prochazka’s style comes with consequences of its own, which makes this such an intriguing fight, stylistically speaking. I think the one thing we haven’t seen from Ulberg that we[ve seen from “BJP” is elite-level competition. Blachowicz is 43 years old and Dominick Reyes is washed, so I’m not sure how much stock we should put into those wins.
I guess this is the fight that will tell us where Ulberg belongs among the 205-pound elite.
“There’s no real preparing for a particular fighter like Jiri,” Ulberg told UFC.com. “He’s very unpredictable. We do have some looks that can give us what we need for this particular fight. It was a short notice to take this fight on — especially it being a world title fight, five rounds. But we’ve been preparing for this fight for years now. We’ve seen it happen. We’ve seen that Jiri could be a possible opponent, whether it be for the title or not; he would be someone in my path. We’ve always been ready. We know we’re ready when we go in there. It’s just about getting the job done and handling business.”
There’s really no outcome here that would surprise me. If Prochazka overwhelmed an exhausted Ulberg, who forgot to develop a Plan B when his paint-by-numbers offense failed to thwart the Czech madman, it would track with everything we discussed above. There’s also a very good chance that Prochazka’s wild, high-risk offense leaves him open for a lethal counter like it did against Pereira — a pair of “BJP” losses that Ulberg undoubtedly studied for this five-round affair. I think this fight all comes down to the Kiwi’s composure. If he can weather the storm and not feel discouraged when Prochazka takes a ton of damage and keeps on coming, I can see a patient, disciplined Ulberg wearing down the former champion and putting him away late in the fight.
Prediction: Ulberg def. Prochazka by technical knockout
185 lbs.: Paulo “Borrachinha” Costa (15-4) vs. Azamat “The Professional” Murzakanov (16-0)
Paulo Costa is moving up from the middleweight division and insists the decision to head north was his call because he wants to be a contender in two different weight classes. What Costa forgot to mention is that he is not currently a contender at 185 pounds and is no longer ranked in the Top 10, thanks to a combination of inactivity and losses. It also doesn’t help that he’s developed a reputation for pulling out of fights, like he did in front of UFC 326. Costa is coming off a decision victory over Roman Kopylov in a fairly forgettable fight but has lost four of his last six, dating back to his embarrassing defeat at the hands of Israel Adesanya back in late 2020. To his credit, “Borrachinha” is an exciting fighter when he’s motivated and has four post-fight performance bonuses to his credit, including two “Fight of the Night” honors. That said, his offense is fairly one dimensional and just consists of winging heavy leather until somebody falls down. It’s 2026, I think we can expect a little more from our fighters at this stage.
“The keys for Paulo Costa, he really needs to go for broke,” former UFC champion Henry Cejudo said on his Pound 4 Pound podcast. “He needs to take his chances early — just bringing the heat in early and really dig to the body and turn this into a fight because there’s one thing you can always say about the Russians: They are all technically sound. Paulo, I love you. I love the ‘secret juice.’ But you’ve got to go out there and throw the kitchen sink because technically, on paper, when you see everything that this guy does, he’s a lot more well-rounded. This guy is really good technically on his feet. He brings in the grappling. He knows how to mix in that damn fighting. If Paulo is not ready for the takedowns with the finesse and the speed, he’s in trouble with this one.”
Azamat Murzakanov has been a nice surprise in the light heavyweight class and came at the perfect time, because Alex Pereira left a gaping hole in the top half of the division to pursue his dreams at heavyweight. The undefeated Murzakanov quietly slugged his way to No. 6 in the rankings but hasn’t gotten much press, probably because he’s got the personality of an empty paint can. Ordinarily, a change in weight classes means a disadvantage in size, but Murzakanov is just 5’10” with a 71” reach, undersized for the division — especially compared to the longer, leaner headliners. As for Costa, he’s listed at 6’1” with a 72” reach, though I’m not sure it matters when you have the finishing power of Murzakanov (just ask Aleksandar Rakic). Like Costa, the 36 year-old “Professional” doesn’t spend a lot of time on the mat and prefers to drop bombs early and often. I guess it if ain’t broke, don’t fix it, because Murzakanov has 12 knockouts in 16 wins with nine of them coming in the very first frame.
“I can’t really predict the outcome of the main event fight, but I wish them good luck,” Murzakanov told UFC.com. “Let the best man win – that’s what I’d like to say. But I’m ready to fight either one. He’s a relatively experienced fighter, but all at middleweight. But this is not middleweight. He will see, and know, the difference between the light heavyweight division and the middleweight division, and after that fight, you guys can ask him if there was any difference. I can’t really predict what will happen. But one thing I know, coming from my side, is that I’m not gonna let it get into the hands of the judges. I’m gonna hunt for that finish.”
Murzakanov is known for his impressive knockouts but he’s now facing one of the more durable fighters in UFC. Costa went toe-to-toe with Yoel Romero (and won) and outside of his ridiculous flop against “The Last Stylebender,” has not been put away inside the cage. If “The Professional” spends too much time getting reads on his opponent, accompanied by the occasional punches in bunches, he may be in danger of dropping a decision to the sloppier (but far busier) Brazilian. I think that all depends on the motivation of Costa, who often seems content to just mail it in when he needs another paycheck.
Prediction: Murzakanov def. Costa by decision
265 lbs.: Curtis “Razor” Blaydes (19-5, 1 NC) vs. Josh “The Incredible Hok” Hokit (8-0)
By the time you read this, it will be exactly 10 years since Curtis Blaydes first stepped foot inside the Octagon, a technical knockout loss to fellow heavyweight prospect Francis Ngannou at UFC Zagreb. Over the last decade, Blaydes has managed to put together a 14-5 record with eight finishes, one No Contest, and four post-fight performance bonuses. He’s also spent most of his career ranked in the Top 10 of the heavyweight class and even got as high as No. 3 back in summer 2020. Unfortunately, “Razor” was unable to slice through the very best of the division, suffering key losses to Derrick Lewis, Sergei Pavlovich, and Tom Aspinall. That’s nothing to be ashamed of by any stretch of the imagination, but it establishes a clear ceiling for Blaydes, who can lay waste to all but the very best of his peers. Over the years, his striking has evolved from laughable to respectable, though I don’t think he’ll ever be mistaken for an elite striker. Blaydes is an exceptional wrestler and those skills, coupled with his size, have allowed “Razor” to reach great heights in UFC.
That said, Father Time is undefeated.
“I’m just happy my knees are healthy again,” the 35 year-old Blaydes told UFC.com. “That was a major factor in my confidence heading into [my last] fight. I entered that fight with two partially torn meniscuses. Removing that, I feel great. I should’ve smashed that guy. [Hokit is] gonna be spastic; he’s gonna be hunting the takedowns. We’re sprawling and brawling every time he attempts. Almost like the Petr Yan vs Merab [rematch]. Every time Merab went for a shot, it wasn’t just Yan defending, he defended and ‘pop, pop, pop,’ to make Merab go, ‘I didn’t get the takedown and I got popped up.’ It’s also at bantamweight; they can’t hurt each other. We can. I do that two or three times, he’s going to be discouraged.”
Josh Hokit was a two-sport athlete at Fresno State and like Blaydes, an exceptional collegiate wrestler. Currently in his fighting prime, the 28 year-old Hokit has completely demolished all eight of his opponents with six of those finishes coming within the very first frame. The fact that Hokit is fighting this high up in the pecking order after just two fights under the UFC banner says a lot about the state of the heavyweight division. Or maybe they just want Blaydes to put an end to the “Incredible Hok” and his goofball shtick. Hokit is a slight underdog on the UFC 327 moneyline and his exemplary record is probably why the line is so close, though I would argue it’s easy to look like a world beater when you’re facing Bellator bums like the 2-4 Sean Rose and 0-1 Spencer Smith. It would have been nice to have seen Hokit against a lower-ranked veteran like Marcin Tybura or Shamil Gaziev, as that would give us a better idea of his current skill set. Without those fights, all we have to work with is an impressive run of recycling cans and the kind of elite athleticism you would expect from a star athlete in college.
“There’s Chael Sonnen, he’s like the OG, then it goes [Conor] McGregor, Colby [Covington] and now I guess we got Hokit,” Blaydes continued. “Each copy of a copy, the iteration gets a little weaker, and I think this is what we’re getting. It’s worked for him. He got a Top 5 opponent on a main card, so it’s worked for him up until a point. I think when you put more energy into your skills on the mic as opposed to your skills in the cage, eventually it’s going to come back and bite you in the ass, and I think that’s what’s happening this weekend.”
Blaydes may not be the most durable fighter, but he’s got a decade of experience against the best heavyweights in the world. He’s also done five rounds without breaking a sweat and has the kind of suffocating gameplan that can wear down and exhaust a relative newbie like Hokit. That said, Blaydes needs to play it smart and turn this fight into a grueling battle of weight, because every minute he’s playing standup gives the younger, faster Hokit an opportunity to land the killing blow. I think Blaydes is too smart for that trap and pounds out an exhausted Hokit late in the final frame.
Prediction: Blaydes def. Hokit by technical knockout
205 lbs.: Dominick “The Devastator” Reyes (15-5) vs. Johnny Walker (22-9, 1 NC)
Dominick Reyes had a nice feel-good story going for a hot minute, kind of like that whole “Rally for Mark Hunt” thing back in 2012. Reyes was able to bounce back from a string of ghastly defeats to win three in a row — all by way of knockout. It helped that all three opponents were thirty-something journeymen who combined for 42 losses (seriously) because the minute he faced a relevant contender in Carlos Ulberg, he was put to sleep in the first round. Now, one of the greatest athletes in Apple Valley history will attempt to stage another comeback in a division that is hungry for contenders. Reyes is a southpaw who prefers to stand-and-bang and has only landed two takedowns under the UFC banner, the last one coming against Jiri Prochazka roughly five years back. Whether or not that strategy has changed now that “The Devastator” has been knocked out in four of his five losses remains to be seen, but he’ll need to be weary of his opponents unorthodox style.
“I win this fight, I would have won four of my last five, so it’s pretty damn good,” Reyes told MMA Junkie. “The cool thing about fighting on the title fight card is a relevancy thing. We live in a world of, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ And everything’s kind of short-term memory. So I go out there and put on a hell of show against Johnny and the main event is a couple of fights later. I’ll be in the conversation. Whether I have to fight one more time or whatever, I’m relevant.”
Johnny Walker is a lot like Reyes in that he rose to fame early in his career, then got clobbered into irrelevancy by way of consecutive knockout losses. Walker is an enormous light heavyweight, standing 6’6” with an 82” reach and fight with an exciting style that has already bagged the Brazilian five post-fight performance bonuses. That includes his second-round annihilation of Mingyang Zhang in the UFC Shanghai main event last August. Also like Reyes, Walker has only registered two takedowns in his UFC career and would rather just go for broke on the feet, to mixed results. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Walker was considered heir to the throne, but I think those days are over especially at age 34. Again, the division is wide open at the moment, so that status could easily change with a couple of big wins, starting with Reyes this weekend in Miami.
“He’s a very experienced, tough guy,” Walker told MMA Fighting. “He fought Jon Jones and, in my opinion, he beat Jones. And I’m ready. It’s going to be a great test for me. If I get past him, it’ll show I can fight in the Top 5, Top 2. One or two more fights and it’s a title shot. If it were up to me, I’d already be fighting for the belt right after this win. Everyone’s gotten their opportunity. Khalil Rountree was No. 8 and fought for the belt, you know? The key is how I finish this fight. Depending on my performance, it could give me a lot of momentum.”
Johnny Walker changes camps the way Tracy Cortez changes boyfriends which leads me to believe he still doesn’t know his own identity in regards to who he is as a fighter. I get this feeling that he’s waiting for someone to show him instead of just going into the cage and embracing his wild, unorthodox style, which works for similar fighters like Jiri Prochazka. At the same time, I think Reyes is completely washed, so this comes down to whoever is the aggressor. The first person to land is the one who exits with the victory — and I think it’s Walker.
Prediction: Walker def. Reyes by knockout
145 lbs.: “Killer” Cub Swanson vs. Nate “The Train” Landwehr (18-7)
Cub Swanson is walking away from MMA at the age of 42 following a pro career that lasted nearly 22 years. It’s nice to see a fighter exit on his (or her) own terms and not be forced out because they keep getting destroyed in consecutive fights. Swanson has been mostly a .500 fighter over the last seven years but is coming off a knockout victory over Billy Quarantillo at UFC Tampa in late 2024 (he was inactive for all of 2025). In the grand scheme of things, Swanson had a fairly unremarkable career, though he managed multiple bright spots during his time under the UFC banner. In addition to victories over Dustin Poirier and Charles Oliveira, the former WEC standout was ranked as high as No. 2 in the official featherweight rankings back in late 2014. Unfortunately, Swanson’s biggest hurdle was consistency, leading to double-digit losses and a permanent residence at the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas. A striker by trade, Swanson holds the featherweight record for most post-fight performance bonuses at 11, one more than former champion Max Holloway.
“I think the fans just see violence, and that’s fine, I’m sure they’ll get it, but I’m excited for the fight,” Swanson told UFC.com. “I think we match up well, and I’m sure we’ll probably get a beer together afterwards. As you get older, you think about these things more in-depth. I think the fact that he’s a wild fighter, he’s tough as nails — I believe he just became a father — and you know he’s coming at an age where he’s gotta be thinking about things. We’re at a similar point in our careers — I’m a little further, but that makes for a better matchup in my mind. Obviously [retirement is] gonna be hard. It’ll be emotional, but I’ll just be happy getting in there. Going in there and having fun — that’s all I’m worried about.”
Like Swanson, the 37 year-old Nate Landwehr has struggled to stay consistent in his UFC career, which recently entered its sixth year. He had a nice little run from 2021-24, winning three straight and four of five, but it wasn’t enough to score any real estate in the official featherweight rankings. That said, Landwehr has managed to bag five post-fight performance bonuses in his last seven fights, with two “Fight of the Night” honors. You don’t board this “Train” for a technical masterclass, you do so because you know it’s going off the rails in the most violent way possible. Against Swanson, Landwehr will have a slight advantage in both height and reach, though he’s just about even with his UFC 327 opponent on the latest betting line (-108/-112). Landwehr’s success in this fight could depend on Swanson’s gameplan and how he wants his final fight to play out. Efficient and calculated for the win? Or violent and messy for the bonus? We’ll find out in just over 24 hours.
“I was just questioning like, ‘Am I getting old?’ Then [UFC] called, and I’m like, ‘Well, he’s older,'” Landwehr told reporters at the UFC 327 media day. “Coming into the UFC from M-1 Global, that was the fight I kind of wanted. We’re about to find out Saturday night. We’re just two guys. It’s going to be like two guys at a baseball game with their sons. We’re going to figure it out. When you’re about to step into that fight, you throw that paper away. We’re fighters out here. We’re real. When bone hits bone, and you get to bleeding, and your heart rate is up there, this is as real as you can get before it’s murder.”
Landwehr is called “The Train” because he barrels forward like a locomotive and overwhelms his opponents. Better strikers have been able to maintain composite and play matador, boxing up Landwehr when he overcommits to his attack. It’s hard to know if Swanson still has the speed and dexterity to follow suit, though he showed us against Quarantillo he still has the power. Look for Swanson to play three wounds of Wac-A-Mole en route to an action-packed (but fairly decisive) decision.
Prediction: Swanson def. Landwehr by decision
For much more on this weekend’s UFC 327 fight card click here.
