Last night (Sat., April 11, 2026), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida for UFC 327. Was this the deepest numbered event since UFC 300? Maybe Jon Anik was onto something! There were great fights from top to bottom, like Kelvin Gastelum vs. Vicente Luque on the early “Prelims” card. The quality of bouts only improved as the night wore on all the way up to the vacant Light Heavyweight title matchup between Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg.
There’s a lot to talk about, so let’s take a look back over the best performances and techniques of the evening:
To Thine Own Self Be True?
It’s fair to say Jiri Prochazka’s code of honor just cost him two-time UFC champion status.
Nothing had really happened yet when Carlos Ulberg blew out his own knee while throwing a check hook. Prochazka recognized the injury and started kicking his other leg, actively feinting and trying to time a big punch. Meanwhile, Ulberg was tripping all over the place, struggling to stand. The simple solution for Prochazka was to keep kicking the leg, wrestle a bit, or just stall until between rounds when the cageside doctor probably would have intervened.
That is not how “The Czech Samurai” operates. He continued to pursue Ulberg, invited him to throw down repeatedly, and walked into a left hook from hell. Even considering the Alex Pereira losses, it’s likely the hardest single shot Prochazka has ever absorbed simply because it landed so perfectly on the point of the chin. Prochazka’s jaw snapped back, and a new champion was crowned.
Ulberg deserves major credit for continuing to believe in himself and fighting for the finish despite his injury, but Prochazka gave this one away.
For the first time in his UFC career, Paulo Costa melded both of his styles successfully.
In round one, we saw stick-and-move Costa at his best. His right leg has long been one of his greatest weapons, and it’s especially useful against Southpaw opposition. As Azamat Murzakanov tried to march forward and box, Costa was evasive and blasting that right leg at all targets. He chewed up the calf and midsection, forcing Murzakanov to hesitate. As a result, Costa was able to land some counter punches as well, stinging the formerly undefeated knockout artist.
In round two, Costa’s feet slowed a bit, a natural consequence of being a massive beefy boy who just spent five minutes with his dancing shoes on. As a result, Murzakanov — though worn down by eating all those kicks — was able to find the pocket and land some heavy shots. Costa fired back and tried to wrestle, but he definitely lost the second frame and the momentum.
With his back to the wall and the fight up for grabs, Costa made a decision. Rather than try to continue fighting on the outside — which is incredibly difficult to do once tired — “Borrachinha” planted his feet and started advancing. He still attacked primarily with power right kicks, but now Costa was kicking on his own initiative and forcing Murzakanov onto the defensive. In essence, Costa switched back to the mauling mode of fighting that saw him rise up the Middleweight ranks all those years ago.
It worked brilliantly! Murzakanov, tired and badly damaged already, could not just walk through those kicks and try to punch. He found himself completely stuck on the outside, a heavy bag for Costa’s right leg. Before too long, the Brazilian went upstairs with two beautiful high kicks, and the second one landed clean enough to sit down Murzakanov for good.
Is that a title shot-worthy performance?
Heading into UFC 327, I think we all assumed Josh Hokit was merely playing a character to troll fight fans. After his war with Curtis Blaydes, however, I’m now fully convinced “The Incredible Hok” is an actual insane person. Chael Sonnen and Colby Covington committed to their bits, but neither man flipped off their opponent repeatedly while dead-tired and taking massive punches from a much bigger opponent.
The first round of Hokit vs. Blaydes was absurd. Hokit landed about two dozen full power right hands, nearly knocking out Blaydes more than once in the opening couple minutes. Blaydes used his wrestling to survive, scoring a couple takedowns but limited control time. Between the wrestling and his early sprint, Hokit was exhausted, allowing Blaydes to tee off and return the favor with many hard connections of his own.
The remaining 10 minutes were absolute chaos between two very fatigued Heavyweights. Both men continued to throw at a high volume, and Hokit’s right hand landed with frightening consistency. Every time it seemed like his hand speed would allow him to pull away, Blaydes would work his way back into the scrap with a stiff jab or thudding clinch punches. He couldn’t make up for the speed difference, however, and Blaydes’ wrestling stopped working as he fatigued. With both men landing, Hokit’s quickness and power saw him land the more definitive blows and thus capture rounds two and three.
It was a hell of an introduction to elite Heavyweight competition.
Swanson’s Perfect Swan Song
Cub Swanson ended his career immaculately by destroying Nate Landwehr.
Swanson has always been a technical brawler, an incredibly unique striker with an easily identifiable style. There are pros and cons to his hands-low, full-commitment kickboxing approach, but this was a showcase. Swanson pummeled Landwehr so thoroughly that this performance alone could serve as a dissertation on why “Killer Cub” has been so effective for so long.
Even at 42 years of age, Swanson was shockingly quick. From the first bell, he used that speed to take initiative, hiding hard calf kicks to get Landwehr hesitating. Then, Swanson attacked fully, stepping deep into powerful swings while always making sure to take his head off the center line. Several of Swanson’s best lands came from the Southpaw stance, as he would blitz in behind his left hand while simultaneously slipping to the outside.
There was a great moment where Swanson realized he had his opponent hurt and could afford to let loose. He started tying together kicks and punches, ripping the body, and extending his combinations in savvy and violent fashion.
The veteran was having real fun in his final moments as a UFC fighter — how could you script it any better?
Mateusz Gamrot successfully defended his Top 10 position against Esteban Ribovics in great style.
Despite Ribovics’ slick and powerful kickboxing, Gamrot was in complete control from the first bell. He wasted little time in getting to his wrestling, forcing Ribovics into the exact kind of transition-filled grappling match that “Gamer” prefers. In those transitions, he was a clear step ahead of the up-and-coming Argentinian, consistently advancing his position and putting Ribovics deeper into the hole.
Gamrot is known for close, competitive fights, but that wasn’t the case here. He largely shut down a talented young fighter and controlled him until the arm triangle opened up, which is a stellar way to return to the win column. Though he’s still not in immediate title contention, Gamrot will remain a player in the upper echelon of 155-pound competition.
As for Ribovics? Let’s give him a year or two to improve his defensive wrestling before his next shot at an elite Lightweight.
Tatiana Suarez’s Quiet Victory
Former Strawweight title challenger Tatiana Suarez defended her Top Five ranking with a lovely submission win over Loopy Godinez.
It wasn’t an easy victory. Godinez stunned her in the first round, and Suarez initially had trouble controlling the Mexican standout. By the second, however, Suarez’s physicality really wore her foe down, allowing her to settle into top position and get to work. Once on the back, the rear naked choke finish came quickly for Suarez’s first tapout win since August 2023.
Perhaps more importantly, Suarez has successfully fought three times in the last 14 months — a big deal and major accomplishment. For those who don’t remember, Suarez was on the fast track to UFC gold way back in 2019 before injuries sidelined her for four years. She fought twice in 2023, but again, she ended up injured for most of two years until her sudden and ill-fated title shot versus Zhang Weili.
Consistency matters in the cage, and Suarez has seemingly found it. It’s great that she just finished a Top 10-ranked contender, but being healthy enough to compete often may be the bigger victory here.
- Aaron Pico defeats Patricio Pitbull via unanimous decision: Pico’s sophomore UFC performance was an undeniable improvement over his first appearance. Nobody has ever questioned Pico’s athleticism or skill, but he’s not always the best at applying his gifts safely. This time around, he did well to use his speed to land punishing combinations then withdraw, refusing to admire his own work and get clipped by a Pitbull counter … being a decade younger also helped, of course. Pitbull scored some hard low kicks and a couple nice right hands early on, but Pico successfully gained a sense of his timing and avoided eating anything too disastrous after the first round. All in all, it was better work from Pico, but I cannot help but feel another knockout loss is coming. He still overcommitted to his punches fairly often and couldn’t do much with his top control. When Pitbull did crack him, there were small moments in which Pico seemed to freeze — a bad sign.
- Vicente Luque defeats Kelvin Gastelum via first-round anaconda choke (highlights): This matchup of declined contenders delivered the violence. Gastelum struck first, timing some nice counters and an early takedown. Luque stayed composed, regained his footing, and found some low kicks in response. When the two stepped into the pocket late in the first, Luque slipped his head off the center line and cracked Gastelum with a combination, flooring the former title challenger. As Gastelum tried to survive, Luque wrapped up his trademark anaconda choke — it was the classic Luque club-and-sub, a common sequence circa 2020 or so. Luque’s unexpected Middleweight move raised eyebrows, but perhaps it has bought him more time as a UFC-level action fighter? At a minimum, he’s back in the win column.
