Curtis Blaydes is set to meet surging prospect Josh Hokit in a featured heavyweight bout at UFC 327 on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Blaydes, ranked No. 5 in the UFC heavyweight division and a former title challenger, enters the matchup 5-2 in his last seven fights, with losses only to Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich. Hokit is described as a surging prospect receiving a major step up in competition.
Blaydes made his view of the stylistic matchup clear, saying, "I view this as a one-dimensional guy versus a guy with a lot of skills, and obviously, I’m the guy with a lot of skills," and added, "I know it is a fight with chaos, and anything can happen, but I’m expecting him to be hunting like a bulldog, but I’ll be ready to sprawl and brawl."
His coach Foster Bailey echoed that confidence while acknowledging the danger of the division. "It’s Heavyweight — everyone is dangerous," Bailey said. "But, I think he’s a one-trick pony just like Curtis said. When Curtis locks in, I think he is the most dangerous man on the planet, and I wouldn’t want to be Josh Hokit when that door closes. Curtis is a bad motherf—ker." Bailey added, "He has better footwork, better jiu-jitsu, more power, more size, and way more experience."
In 2024, Blaydes defeated Jailton Almeida in what was described as a high-risk matchup, and he now looks to halt Hokit's rise when they collide at UFC 327.
