UFC 327 Recap
April 12, 2026
Fight Notes & Results
Unusual but very exciting card. I did pretty poorly on my picks—going 3/5 on the main card and 2/7 on the prelims. To be fair, the fights I actually tape-studied, I got right. The rest I just tailed. I’m going to jump all over the place, so strap in.
Jiri made one of the lowest-IQ decisions I’ve ever seen in MMA. He started off doing okay, but Carlos was already picking him apart. Then Carlos tears his ACL or something and can barely stand. Jiri starts attacking the other leg, which was smart, but then… decides, “You know what, I’m going to brawl with this guy.” Of course, he stands right in front of a check left hook and gets knocked out.
The Gastelum outcome was not what I expected. I know people hate on Kelvin, and I know Luque is underrated—even with the brain injury that people keep bringing up—but I still felt like Gastelum should’ve blasted Luque into another universe. Maybe actually doing tape study would’ve swayed me otherwise, but I have a bit of a delusional outlook on Gastelum. Pyfer did a number on Kelvin, and his chin looks like it might be gone now. He really had a ton of potential and was one of my favorite fighters to come out of TUF.
A lot of fans—and even the UFC broadcast booth—took issue with the scoring of Mederos vs. Padilla. Initially, it was announced as a majority decision win for Padilla, but later in the broadcast it was corrected to a draw. A lot of people were upset that a judge could even score it for Mederos.
On my personal scorecard (which you can see below), I had two rounds for Mederos, and with the point deduction, that made it a draw. If you actually watched the fight without listening to Joe Rogan and DC talking over it, it’s pretty clear why a draw is a reasonable outcome. Padilla had a lot of output, but most of it was leg kicks and jabs that didn’t do much damage. When they exchanged in the pocket, Mederos held his own and landed the better shots.
Also, if you use a real-time scoring approach like I do, you’re less likely to get caught up in narratives about how a round “felt.” Just because Padilla may have finished strong doesn’t mean he won the round—there were still 4:50 of action that mattered. I have no issue with someone scoring it for Padilla or Mederos. The rounds were much closer than Rogan and DC made them seem, especially in hindsight. They made it sound like Mederos had no business being competitive, which just wasn’t the case.
Suarez getting a submission victory is huge. She had a really tough first round—got dropped but survived.
Gamrot looked exceptional. He was on another level.
Randy Brown completely gassed after Holland’s submission attempt. Credit to him for surviving, but he was done. Holland looked good, but he should’ve finished Brown, who had nothing to offer offensively or defensively at that point. Brown just hugged him to survive, and Holland spent more time talking than working to break free. Ridiculous.
Pico had a rocky first round but managed to outclass and outwork Pitbull in the second and third. I don’t come away thinking much differently about Pico. He was close to getting knocked out—it was there. If Pitbull had any real killer instinct, he could’ve won. That said, Pico showed composure and stuck to his game plan. Still, Pico should’ve gotten the finish—that would’ve been a big statement.
There’s too much to say about Hokit vs. Blaydes. People are right—it was one of the best heavyweight fights in a long time. Hokit showed great conditioning and durability, but I do have concerns. Blaydes isn’t much of a puncher. He has some power, but for his size, you’d expect more knockouts. Hokit was getting rocked at times, and against a true power puncher, that could’ve been a problem. That said, his conditioning will take him far—especially if he’s fighting someone like Derrick Lewis, who tends to gas out.
I was very impressed by Costa. I was not impressed by Reyes or Walker.
The most important fight of the night for me: Cub Swanson. He wins in spectacular fashion against Nate Landwehr. I was a bit surprised—Landwehr is tough and usually survives early adversity, but he was getting dominated. I think he got dropped multiple times. Herb Dean mercifully stopped it, and Landwehr was still trying to wrestle him.
They put together a solid video package for Cub—by UFC standards, anyway. Honestly, I think that might be the best retirement win of all time. Better than Chiesa’s, and the fight itself was better too.
Thank you, Cub Swanson.
Radtke vs. Prado
Pick: Prado
Round 1:
Prado opened with very effective striking—body hooks, body kicks, and clean hooks to the head. Radtke was pushed back to the fence but did well to get the fight to the ground. Clear advantage once it hit the mat. He took the back, controlled most of the round, and landed some damage late.
Score: 10-9 Radtke
Round 2:
Prado looked noticeably slower and a bit fatigued. He ate a jab and was taken down again, with Radtke ending up on his back. Prado recovered into guard and landed a heavy elbow from the top. Radtke returned fire with an elbow from bottom that opened a bad cut—Prado was bleeding heavily. I still scored this 10-9 Prado, though most will likely give it to Radtke.
Round 3:
Prado was deducted a point for an eyepoke. He started strong, defending multiple takedowns, but then jumped for a guillotine—poor decision. It was close, but Radtke escaped and ended up on top. You could argue the round for Prado, but it likely doesn’t matter.
Result: Radtke via Decision
Gastelum vs. Luque
Round 1:
Missed the beginning. Gastelum had control with a front headlock early. Luque then dropped him with a right hook and locked in a D’Arce choke. Gastelum tapped. Very surprising outcome.
Result: Luque via Submission
Mederos vs. Padilla
Pick: Mederos
Round 1:
Very clean round for Padilla—sharp Muay Thai, strong pressure, and technical striking. He took an elbow that caused a cut, but otherwise dominated.
Score: 10-9 Padilla
Round 2:
Padilla maintained high activity, but Mederos came alive—more volume and better exchanges.
Score: 10-9 Mederos
Round 3:
Same pressure from Padilla, but I thought Mederos edged the exchanges again. I personally had it a draw at 28-28.
Official Result: Padilla via Majority Decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
Correction: Fight ruled a Draw
Suarez vs. Godinez
Pick: Suarez
Round 1:
Godinez dropped Suarez early. Suarez recovered, secured a takedown, and controlled. Many scored it for Godinez based on damage, but I gave it to Suarez for combined control and damage.
Score: 10-9 Suarez
Round 2:
Suarez got it to the ground, took the back, and finished with a rear-naked choke.
Result: Suarez via Submission (Round 2)
Gamrot vs. Ribovics
Pick: Ribovics
Round 1:
Competitive striking early, but Gamrot secured a takedown and controlled the remainder.
Score: 10-9 Gamrot
Round 2:
Another takedown from Gamrot, followed by an arm triangle finish.
Result: Gamrot via Submission (Round 2)
Holland vs. Brown
Pick: Brown
Round 1:
Holland brutally attacked Brown’s lead leg—noticeable swelling developed. Brown may have been dropped by a left hook. Holland controlled on top, but Brown landed 12-6 elbows, upkicks, and threatened submissions.
Score: 10-9 Holland
Round 2:
Competitive striking, but Holland locked in a D’Arce attempt. Brown escaped but looked completely exhausted by the end.
Score: 10-9 Holland
Round 3:
Brown was extremely fatigued, mostly clinching and holding against the cage. Holland did just enough with strikes to edge it. Some may score this for Brown.
Score: 10-9 Holland
Result: Holland via Decision
Pitbull vs. Pico
Pick: Pico
Round 1:
Pitbull had success countering, especially off Pico’s jab. Pico landed a solid takedown. Close round.
Score: 10-9 Pitbull
Round 2:
Excellent round from Pico—busy jab, clean counters, and combinations. Finished with a strong takedown.
Score: 10-9 Pico
Round 3:
Pico continued to outclass Pitbull on the feet. Pitbull was too hesitant.
Score: 10-9 Pico
Result: Pico via Decision
Swanson vs. Landwehr
Pick: Swanson
Round 1:
Swanson dominated completely.
Reyes vs. Walker
Pick: Reyes
Round 1:
Reyes started sharp, but Walker’s leg kicks took over as the round progressed.
Score: 10-9 Walker
Round 2:
Similar pattern. Reyes applied more pressure. Based on trusted input:
Score: 10-9 Reyes
Round 3:
Difficult to follow closely. Low-quality, uneventful round. Unclear scoring.
Result: Reyes via Split Decision
Blaydes vs. Hokit
Pick: Blaydes
Rounds 1–3:
All rounds were chaotic and high-paced. Overall, I think Hokit edged it on volume, though Blaydes stayed competitive.
Score: 29-28 Hokit
Result: Hokit via Decision
Murzakanov vs. Costa
Pick: Murzakanov
Round 1:
Costa landed strong inside body kicks and scored an eyepoke pause. Murzakanov had moments, but Costa dropped him (possibly a slip) and controlled on top.
Score: 10-9 Costa
Round 2:
Costa slowed significantly. Murzakanov took over with pressure and damage. Brief grappling exchange with a scarf hold attempt.
Score: 10-9 Murzakanov (close)
Round 3:
Costa landed a massive head kick. Murzakanov barely survived.
Jiri vs. Ulberg
Round 1:
Ulberg’s leg kicks were effective early. Jiri had explosive moments, but Ulberg avoided danger well. Ulberg appeared to injure his knee at one point. Jiri invited a pocket exchange, made questionable decisions, and was caught with a left hook. Knocked out and finished on the ground.
Result: Ulberg via KO
Note: Extremely poor fight IQ moment from Jiri.
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