UFC 327, set for April 11, 2026, on the Kaseya Middle in Miami, has added a number of excessive‑profile matchups to what’s shaping up as a stacked card. The announcement sequence over February 2026 has solidified the occasion’s depth within the flyweight, mild heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions, with three bouts specifically standing out: Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira, Dominick Reyes vs. Johnny Walker, and Curtis Blaydes vs. Josh Hokit.
Van vs. Taira: Flyweight Title Middle Stage
Joshua Van will make the primary protection of his UFC flyweight title when he faces Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327 in Miami. Van, 24, captured the belt in 2025 after a speedy climb from unranked to champion, closing the yr with a 26‑second TKO of Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323, the place an arm damage ended the bout. His resume features a 2025 “Struggle of the Yr” choice over Brandon Royval and finishes over Rei Tsuruya and Bruno da Silva, all of which helped him safe the title shot in a brief window.
Taira, 26, enters the combat as the highest flyweight contender after a robust 2025 run that noticed him rebound from his first skilled loss with a submission of Hyun Sung Park, then cap the yr by ending former champion Brandon Moreno at UFC 323. That win over Moreno was the primary time a fighter stopped the Brazilian since 2018, which instantly elevated Taira’s standing within the division. His 18‑1 document and slick, technical putting make him a pure challenger as Van places his belt on the road in Miami.
The matchup is framed as a conflict between Van’s aggressive strain and Taira’s crisp, measured putting, with the Devinette’s stand‑up threats and high‑management protection assembly the Japanese contender’s technical precision and clinch work. The bout is anticipated to headline or no less than sit close to the highest of the UFC 327 most important card.
Reyes vs. Walker: Veteran Gentle Heavyweights Conflict
Within the mild heavyweight division, Dominick Reyes will tackle Johnny Walker at UFC 327, marking one other key addition to the Miami card. Reyes, 34, is a two‑time UFC mild heavyweight title challenger whose profession has been outlined by explosive finishes and a slender loss to Jon Jones in a 2020 title combat. He was coming off a 3‑combat knockout streak over Dustin Jacoby, Anthony Smith, and Nikita Krylov earlier than a primary‑spherical knockout loss to Carlos Ulberg at UFC Perth in 2025, which stalled his momentum towards a 3rd title shot.
Walker, 33, brings a 22‑9 document into the bout and is presently ranked No. 12 within the UFC’s mild heavyweight division. His run‑by 2025 has been inconsistent however productive, with a 4‑2‑1 mark over his final seven fights and a notable Efficiency of the Evening TKO of Zhang Mingyang in August 2025. He had been on a 3‑combat shedding streak earlier than halting that slide with the end over Zhang, giving him an opportunity to regain consistency and probably climb again into the highest 10.
The pairing just isn’t a proper title eliminator, however each fighters want wins to reestablish themselves in a lightweight heavyweight division that is still fluid on the high. Reyes will likely be trying to present the identical stoppage energy that carried him into title competition, whereas Walker goals to leverage his wild putting and counter‑timing to show the combat right into a brawl. The matchup is scheduled for the Kaseya Middle most important card, the place it can possible sit within the center to higher half of the lineup.
Blaydes vs. Hokit: Heavyweights Collide in Miami
Within the heavyweight division, Curtis Blaydes will face up‑and‑coming prospect Josh Hokit at UFC 327, a matchup that provides the 34‑yr‑previous grappler his first bout since knee surgical procedure. Blaydes, 34, has lengthy been considered one of many UFC’s most technically sound wrestlers, with a profession constructed on takedowns, high strain, and floor‑and‑pound quite than one‑shot finishes. He final fought in June 2025, when he edged Rizvan Kuniev by way of cut up choice, snapping an earlier shedding streak that included a primary‑minute knockout loss to Tom Aspinall in a 2024 title combat.
Hokit, 28, is 8‑1 general and a couple of‑0 within the UFC, with each Octagon wins coming within the opening spherical. He stopped Max Gimenis in 51 seconds in November 2025, then adopted with one other first‑spherical end over Denzel Freeman in January 2026, incomes him a clearly elevated degree of competitors. His putting‑heavy id and aggressive ahead strain make him a harmful stylistic matchup towards Blaydes’ grinding high‑management blueprint, creating a transparent stylistic take a look at the place Hokit should maintain the combat standing and Blaydes will push for the clinch and takedown.
The bout is positioned as a step‑up take a look at for Hokit, who continues to be constructing his UFC status, and a rebuilding alternative for Blaydes, who will wish to remind followers and the promotion that he stays a high‑shelf heavyweight grappler. It’ll air on the UFC’s most important‑card broadcast, possible on Paramount+ or its streaming companion, and types a part of a UFC 327 undercard that already consists of a number of ranked fighters and rising names.
UFC 327
UFC 327 is leaning into Miami but once more as a key cease on the 2026 calendar, with the Kaseya Middle internet hosting an occasion that’s now being promoted across the Van vs. Taira flyweight title combat. The cardboard has grown shortly by a collection of bulletins in February 2026, including a number of excessive‑profile bouts throughout three weight courses, together with the three highlighted right here.
The Van–Taira title matchup anchors the night time’s narrative, whereas Reyes–Walker and Blaydes–Hokit present distinct stylistic storylines: momentum‑rebuilding veterans in mild heavyweight, and a putting prospect versus a seasoned grappler at heavyweight. Because the April 11 date approaches, every of those fights will likely be scrutinized for what it tasks onto the trajectory of the respective divisions, giving followers a transparent sense of title‑race implications and roster‑tier shifts.
