The UFC will usher in April with a pair of world championship fights at UFC 327, as Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg battle for the vacant light heavyweight title.
Set for April 11 from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, all bouts will stream live on Paramount+. The final two prelim and first two main card bouts will also air live on CBS.
In the headline fight, former light heavyweight champion Prochazka looks to once again call himself the best 205-pounder in the world. With a record of 32-5-1, he has secured wins over the likes of Dominick Reyes, Khalil Rountree, Jr. and ex-champion Jamahal Hill.
Standing in his way will be Ulberg, who has lost just once in 15 pro fights. He owns a nine-fight win streak that includes wins over Reyes, Alonzo Menifield and former champion Jan Blachowicz.
Joshua Van makes first UFC title defense
The co-main event will see Joshua Van put his UFC flyweight title on the line for the first time against Tatsuro Taira. Van won the belt after Alexandre Pantoja suffered an arm injury in their bout at UFC 323 this past December.
Van has won six in a row, including a decision over Brandon Royval that earned him a fight-night bonus.
Taira is 18-1 overall, winning each of his last two by second-round finish. He stopped Brandon Moreno and submitted Park Hyun-sung since a loss to Royval.
Other announced UFC 327 fights
- No. 4 ranked UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes (19–5 1NC, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) defends his Top 5 status against Dana White Contender Series alumni Josh Hokit (8–0, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.)
- Former title challenger and current No. 10 ranked UFC light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes (15–5, fighting out of Victorville, Calif.) faces off with the unpredictable No. 12 Johnny Walker (22–9, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. by way of Rio das Ostras, Brazil)
- No. 6 ranked UFC light heavyweight contender Azamat Murzakanov (16–0, fighting out of Fairfield, N.J. by way of Nalchik, Russia) puts his perfect record on the line as welcomes former title challenger Paulo Costa (15–4, fighting out of Contagem, MG, Brazil) to the 205-pound division
- No. 13 ranked featherweight contender Patricio Freire (37-8, fighting out of Mossoro, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil) collides with Aaron Pico (13-5, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.)
- A thrilling featherweight matchup sees UFC Hall of Famer Cub Swanson (30–14, fighting out of Palm Springs, Calif.) return to the Octagon to take on Nate Landwehr (18–7, fighting out of Clarksville, Tenn.)
- No. 8 ranked lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot (25-4 1NC, fighting out of Poznan, Poland) meets Esteban Ribovics (15-2, fighting out of Cordoba, Argentina) in a bout sure to deliver non-stop action
- All-action welterweights Kevin Holland (28–15, 1NC fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) and Randy Brown (20–7, fighting out of Queens, N.Y. by way of Spanish Town, Jamaica) lock horns
- High-stakes strawweight contest pits No. 2 ranked Tatiana Suarez (12–1, fighting out of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) against No. 6 Loopy Godinez (14–5, fighting out of Vancouver, B.C., Canada by way of Aguascalientes, Mexico)
- UFC Hall of Famer Kelvin Gastelum (21-10 1NC, fighting out of Yuma, Ariz.) welcomes veteran Vicente Luque (23–12–1, fighting out of Brasília, Brasil) to the middleweight division
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