What To Do After UFC 327: UFC Matchmaking

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen

Sportz Nation - 4/13/2026

Photo by Ed Mulholland/ Getty Images

Carlos Ulberg vs

WINNER of Prochazka vs Ankalaev

Zak Drapeau -

What a performance we saw from Carlos Ulberg in his first title fight. After tearing his ACL, he STILL knocked Jiri Prochazka into next week and became the new Light Heavyweight Champion. Unfortunately, because of the injury, Ulberg will be out close to a year and may even have to vacate his title.

Whether he vacates or not, the title picture for 205 is very clear to me. Prochazka vs. Ankalaev is the next "title" or "interim title" fight, and the winner will face Ulberg in 2027 when the champ is cleared. The only way this doesn't happen is if there are two title fights while Ulberg recovers.

Jiri Prochazka vs

Magomed Ankalaev

Matt Hylen -

With Ulberg likely out long term, I could see Jiri Prochazka fighting for some kind of interim belt next. Both he and Magomed Ankalaev are coming off title losses, and with the Light Heavyweight Division having no real contenders knocking on the door for a title shot, it makes sense for these two to battle it out.

Again, the stakes of this fight will heavily depend on whether or not the UFC will have an interim championship or if Ulberg is forced to vacate the belt altogether. Yet, Jamahal Hill did not have to vacate the belt when he tore his Achilles and was champion, so I assume an interim champion will be the result.

Paulo Costa vs

Khalil Rountree Jr.

Zak Drapeau -

WOW, Paulo Costa is back! Costa looked amazing at 205 and just crushed the undefeated Azamat Murzakanov. I don't think it's out of the question to give Costa a title eliminator next, especially with what's going on with Ulberg and his potential year-long recovery.

A fight between him and Rountree NEEDS to happen not only for continuity in the division but as a perfect test for Costa. Rountree is a technical striker who can knock you out in one shot and will test Costa's ability to go the distance rather than just beat someone up.

Azamat Murzakanov vs

Dominick Reyes

Matt Hylen -

Azamat Murzakanov looked extremely shaky in his fight against Paulo Costa. His defense was lackluster at best while not really producing offensively despite the amount of pressure he put on. With that said, I still think he is in that second tier of potential title contenders, so a fight against a guy like Dominick Reyes makes sense to me.

Despite how brutally boring and inactive his fight was against Johnny Walker, Reyes is still coming off a win that should send him into another top contender fight. I believe that, since this division is so lackluster, whoever wins this hypothetical matchup could get a top-5 fight or even a title eliminator next, depending on what happens inside the top-5.

Josh Hokit vs

Derrick Lewis

Zak Drapeau -

This fight has somehow already been confirmed for UFC "Freedom" in just 2 months and already promises to be a Fight of the Night contender. Josh Hokit arrived in a huge way this weekend and may be one of the most exciting heavyweights entering the division.

I do believe that if Hokit could defeat Blaydes in an albeit very close fight, the fight with Lewis will be a slugfest that Hokit will also win. However, with his tendency to move forward recklessly, could we see another classic Black Beast knockout?

Curtis Blaydes vs

Tyrell Fortune

Matt Hylen -

Regardless of the result, Curtis Blaydes showed a tremendous amount of heart and fought a style of fight he is not normally comfortable fighting. The grapple-first heavyweight proved his heart and durability against a worthy opponent, so I do not think he will fall off a tremendous amount in the rankings.

That being said, even before the Hokit loss, Blaydes was still more of a gatekeeper at this point, so why not give him another opportunity to stop a potential contender. Tyrell Fortune may not have looked as good as he thought he could have looked, but he still got the job done in his UFC debut on short notice. With Fortune's resume outside the UFC to go along with his win, Blaydes could be in for another really fun fight if this were to happen.

Aaron Pico vs

Yair Roriguez

Zak Drapeau -

That was a tremendous showing from Pico, and I know what you're thinking: Yair Rodriguez is a steep ramp up for him. However, with the current matches made at 145 and Rodriguez's inactivity taken into account, this fight is the only one that makes sense for Pico moving forward.

I have Lerone Murphy vs. Kevin Vallejos, so Rodriguez is the only man in the Top 10 that doesn't have a fight, except for Jean Silva, who is expected to be around the title scene. If Pico can beat Yair in this one, he is firmly in the mix for the title.

Kevin Holland vs

Geoff Neal

Matt Hylen -

Though he may never live up to the potential he shows every other fight, Kevin Holland is still a super entertaining fighter who will do anything he can to get a victory. Hopefully, Holland will try to make one more run at Welterweight because I think he definitely fits the most at that weight. With this victory against Randy Brown, Holland might get one more veteran matchup before really making a push for a ranked opponent.

Geoff Neal is coming off two brutal KO losses, making him a very interesting opponent for a guy like Holland. With Neal likely on his way out, this could be a great opportunity for Holland to get a seasoned veteran on his resume as he makes a push for a ranked fighter soon.

Mateusz Gamrot vs

Fares Ziam

Zak Drapeau -

I feel like the UFC was really hoping for Ribovics to win here, so now there will be a real debate about who's next for Gamrot. Even though he won, I'm not ready to give him a fight up in the rankings, but a fight with #15 Fares Ziam would be a HUGE challenge, and for Gamrot, a fight with another very capable wrestler and grappler.

Ziam is on a 6-fight win streak and is really big for the division. A fight between the two would definitely be good enough to co-main a Fight Night but would also be a necessary battle for either man to be ready for a Top-7 fight moving forward.

Tatiana Suarez vs

Mackenzie Dern

Strawweight Championship

Matt Hylen -

Regardless of what happens with Zhang Weili, Tatiana Suarez deserves the next title shot in my opinion. Besides the one loss to Weili, Suarez has dominated everybody she has faced in the UFC. With Weili's status still unknown, Suarez is the most dominant grappler and submission artist in the division right now. She dominated a very good fighter in Loopy Godinez, and I think she will dominate Mackenzie Dern should she get the next title shot.

Other Fights to Make:

Johnny Walker vs Navajo Stirling

Nate Landwehr vs Christian Rodriguez

Patricio Pitbull vs Nathaniel Wood

Randy Brown vs Chidi Njoukani

Esteban Ribovics vs Ignacio Bahamondes

Loopy Godinez vs Denise Gomes

Chris Padilla vs Axel Sola

Marquel Mederos vs Darrius Flowers

Vicente Luque vs Marvin Vettori

Kelvin Gastelum vs César Almeida

Charles Radtke vs Carlos Leal

Francisco Prado vs Regional Scene