Josh Hokit vs. Curtis Blaydes has been selected by MMA Junkie as its April 2026 Fight of the Month, edging out a slate of action-packed contenders from the UFC schedule.
MMA Junkie highlighted five fights as nominees for the honor, all taking place in April 2026. The final pick went to Hokit’s unanimous decision win over Blaydes at UFC 327, where all three judges scored the bout 29-28.
Hokit and Blaydes met in a three-round, striking-heavy clash at Kaseya Center, notably abandoning their usual grapple-heavy styles. Hokit entered the matchup undefeated at 9-0 in MMA and 3-0 in the UFC, while Blaydes came in with a 19-6 MMA record and 14-6 mark in the UFC.
The other nominated bouts included Marquel Mederos vs. Chris Padilla, originally announced as a majority decision win for Padilla before being changed to a majority draw due to a misread scorecard; Jai Herbert’s first-round TKO of Mandel Nallo after both fighters were knocked down early; Charles Jourdain’s unanimous decision over Kyler Phillips in a three-round bout that earned a Fight of the Night bonus; and Davey Grant’s bloody three-round unanimous decision over Adrian Luna Martinetti.
Luna Martinetti entered his bout with Grant after earning his UFC contract following a notable battle on Dana White’s Contender Series.
