Carlos Ulberg

What a clutch win by the Kiwi. With an obvious injury to his right leg, it looked like a Jiri Prochazka victory was a formality. Ulberg probably wouldn’t have been cleared by his corner or the doctor for a second round, so he had to take care of Prochazka in this opening round, with a compromised leg. And that’s exactly what he did. He landed his favourite shot, a clean left hook, and put Jiri out cold.

As for what’s next for the newly crowned champion, anything is on the table. The top contenders are all coming off losses, so maybe Paulo Costa’s win over Murzakanov will be enough to sneak into a title fight. Should Alex Pereira be unsuccessful in his bid at heavyweight and look to come back down, an immediate title shot would certainly be in the cards. And who knows how long Ulberg’s recovery from his leg injury will take? Maybe by the time he’s ready to come back a clear number one contender will have emerged. If Bogdan Guskov puts out Jan Blachowicz in highlight reel fashion, he might steal the number one slot. For now, though, it’s difficult to find someone with a better case than Paulo Costa.

Ulberg’s next fight: Paulo Costa

Paulo Costa

Despite barely holding on to a ranking at middleweight, the Brazilian knocked out the undefeated, top10-ranked Azamat Murzakanov in the third round. Light-heavyweight being the state that it is, who knows what could be next for “The Eraser”. I love the idea of Costa facing off with Jiri Prochazka, but Jiri should look to take some time off after getting brutally put out by Ulberg. With Magomed Ankalaev, Khalil Rountree Jr., Jamahal Hill and the aforementioned Prochazka all coming off losses, Costa may just currently have the best case for a title shot, as wild as that sounds.

Costa’s next fight: Carlos Ulberg

Josh Hokit

Usually we hear that the UFC “doesn’t make fights the night of,” but Josh Hokit’s brawl with Curtis Blaydes was too good not to stick him on the White House card right away. Time will tell if fighting Derrick Lewis barely two months after taking over one hundred strikes from Curtis Blaydes will pay off, but for now, there’s no matchmaking needed for me to make on my end.

Hokit’s next fight: Derrick Lewis

Dominick Reyes

Dominick Reyes may have gotten back in the win column, but we can’t pretend he did it in impressive fashion. Johnny Walker has been quite a vulnerable target for any decent puncher at 205 pounds, but Reyes still put on a pretty anemic performance and did just enough to get away with a split decision. He doesn’t deserve a big fight after a performance like this, so I think the loser of the upcoming Blachowicz/Guskov rematch makes sense.

Reyes’ next fight: Blachowicz/Guskov 2 loser

Cub Swanson

Getting back-to-back knockouts like the ones Swanson got against Billy Quarantillo and now Nate Landwehr, Killer Cub clearly still has it. But 42 years of age is a good time to call it a career and props to Cub, the last remaining WEC alumni, for going out on a high note like this one. Happy retirement Cub!

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Reyes (16-5) earned a split decision victory over Walker in a fight that saw more misses than hits. “The Devastator” barely had a scratch on him after the bout, while Walker could be said to be slightly banged up at most.

“I did expect him to be a little more aggressive, but this is super f*cking dangerous. It’s a super dangerous game we’re playing,” Reyes admitted following the bout, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press.

“Everything he did I expected. I wasn’t caught off-guard with anything. It was a good technical fight,” stated Reyes, going on to add that “the game plan got switched up a little bit. I expected him to be stepping into range more often, and he didn’t. I had to force the action a few times, I wobbled him a few times. It was a technical, good fight.”

The former light heavyweight title challenger also noted that “Being Dominick Reyes, people expect me to come out and go all crazy and go for the knockout or get knocked out.” Yet there are other motivations, and other concerns, for Reyes in the cage. “I have a son, I need to come home with two checks more than anything. Getting two checks means more than entertaining.”

That would be show and win money, as Reyes was as far away from a post-fight bonus as you could get on Saturday. As for the boo-birds in the arena, “it’s the fight game. Sometimes it goes great, sometimes it doesn’t. If they’re going to boo, they’re going to boo. Whatever. They could have easily turned around to just madhouse if I had of landed the shot I was trying to land.”

Watch the full UFC 327 post-fight press conference with Dominick Reyes above.

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Reyes (15-5) entered the UFC in 2017 and quickly put together an impressive six-fight win streak, including four finishes and a TKO victory over former champion Chris Weidman. That run earned him a title shot against former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, which he lost by decision.

Since then, Reyes has gone 3-5 and enters this fight coming off a loss to headliner Carlos Ulberg, but an impressive finish of Walker could put him in position for a rematch later this year.

Walker (22-9) came into the fight off a victory over Mingyang Zhang last August in China. The victory stopped a two-fight skid, and Walker rode the momentum into a main card matchup with Reyes.

Round 1 – Walker opened the fight targeting the lead leg with kicks, while Reyes fired an early head kick that was blocked. Fighting out of the southpaw stance, Reyes allowed Walker to continue working the inside leg kicks with consistency.

Reyes remained patient, searching for openings, but threw multiple head kicks without much setup. Walker answered with a head kick of his own, which was also blocked, and continued to find success attacking the lead leg as Reyes made few adjustments defensively.

Reyes did land a clean left hand as Walker closed the distance, but Walker returned to the leg kicks and attempted to follow with combinations, most of which were blocked.

The round closed with Walker pressing forward, finishing his attack with a right hand.

Round 2 – Walker continued to circle away from Reyes’ power side, using kicks and lateral movement to stay out of danger.

For much of the second round, the fight had the feel of a sparring session, with both men taking turns initiating offense without fully committing.

Walker mixed in a body kick, slipped a left hand, and shot for a takedown, but Reyes defended it well.

The round ended to boos from the crowd.

Round 3 – The third round followed a similar pattern, with Walker continuing to move well while Reyes repeatedly threw head kicks without much setup.

Reyes mixed in leg kicks in an effort to slow Walker’s movement, but the fight maintained a sparring-like feel, with both fighters taking turns initiating offense rather than fully committing.

Reyes walked away with a split-decision, but even the commentary team wasn’t sure about that fight.

Official Result: Dominick Reyes def. Johnny Walker via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

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“He’s working in Vegas with [Eric] Nicksick, I believe they’re trying to bring even more structure to his chaos. But either way I’m ready for complete, wild madness,” Reyes (15-5) said during this week’s UFC 327 media day. He’s been working with training partners who “I don’t even know what they were doing, but they were doing it,” as well as ones who were completely structured.

“My preparation for this fight was just ‘be ready for anything,'” Reyes added.

Walker has been known for his chaos since arriving in the UFC, a career that has run along the same timeline as Reyes. As such, they’ve been circling one another for a while, Reyes acknowledged on Wednesday.

“We’ve both been in the UFC pretty much the same time. I’d be coming up and we’d be right there, and then he’d fall down. Or he’d be coming up, we’d be right there, and then I’d fall down. So it’s been circling each other for sure.”

“I’ve actually been looking forward to fighting him for six or seven years now. Now it’s finally happening,” Reyes added. “Everything happens as it should, when it should, and here we are.”

Reyes had a career resurgence recently, after slumping following his title fight loss to Jon Jones. “The Devastator” secured three victories in 2024-25 before running into Carlos Ulberg (who coincidentally fights for the UFC light heavyweight title on Saturday). Processing that loss was “easier to process,” somewhat, coming off that successful run, noted Reyes.

“I mean it’s never easy to process, don’t get me wrong, losing sucks and I don’t want to lose ever, but it’s a part of life. Not just part of fighting, it’s part of life,” stated Reyes. “So it’s how you react to that loss, how you react to falling down that defines you.”

Having a baby boy in December put things in focus for Reyes. “It was like, dude it’s just one fight, one instance.” While admitting he was “pissed” because the fight was over so quickly, he added “it’s big, but there’s still light the next day. I’m still here, I’m still fighting. It’s not over for me.”

Watch the full UFC 327 media day appearance by Dominick Reyes above.

The post UFC 327’s Dominick Reyes: It’s “How You React to Falling Down that Defines You” appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Tuesday, the promotion announced five big fights for the UFC 327 card in Miami, Florida, which takes place on April 11, 2026 at the aforementioned venue.

Among them, Curtis Blaydes will face a relative newcomer in Josh Hokit at heavyweight, while Vicente Luque takes on the recently returned Kyle Daukaus at middleweight. That’s a move up in weight for Brazil’s Luque, who has long been a mainstay of the 170lb division.

Kevin Holland vs. Randy Brown at welterweight, Johnny Walker vs. Dominick Reyes at light heavyweight, and Azamat Murzakanov vs. Paulo Costa at middleweight were also officially announced by UFC officials on Tuesday.

Aside from the Luque move, heads are being turned by Hokit’s quick rise up the UFC ranks. A former football player, Hokit won his way into the UFC in 2025 on the Contender Series, and has picked up two victories, and two Performance of the Night bonuses since his arrival. At 8-0 overall, Hokit is unbeaten but is getting a massive step up in competition against Blaydes, who is ranked #4 in the weight class (Hokit is yet to see a number next to his name).

“The Incredible Hok,” however, has been busy with self-promotion Chael P. Sonnen style, pulling off some memorable, if controversial, pro wrestling style post-fight interviews.

While UFC President and CEO previously said “I don’t love it” of Hokit’s style, he’s getting quite the promotion at UFC 327.

UFC 327 also features a Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira flyweight title fight, though a second championship match-up yet to be announced is likely to join the card.

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Both the co-main, and the main event, for UFC Perth featured brutal first round finishes. Jimmy Crute strangled Ivan Erslan and Carlos Ulberg flatlined Dominick Reyes in a light heavyweight title eliminator. Both finishes also earned bonuses, as well as the main card’s opener between Tom Nolan and Charlie Campbell. All around, an exciting card with five of the six main card fights ending with finishes.

Dominick Reyes

Dominick Reyes was dropped and finished late in the first round of his main event against Carlos Ulberg in UFC Perth’s main event Saturday. Reyes entered the cage ranked at #7 in the light heavyweight division while Ulberg was ranked at #3. To say Reyes was on a hot streak would be putting it mildly- Reyes had seemingly revived his career after getting stopped three times in a row following his controversial 2020 loss to then-UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. “The Devastator” stopped Dustin Jacoby, Anothny Smith and Nikita Krylov climbing back into the top ten of the division. This loss halts a large mass of that momentum, but all isn’t lost for the 35-year-old.

For his next fight, Reyes should take on the loser of Azamat Murzakanov vs Aleksandar Rakic. That fight goes down on October 25th, so the timing wouldn’t be too bad. Rakic is on a three-fight losing skid and has losses against common opponents like Jan Blachowicz and Jiri Prochazka in similar fashion. Azamat is 5-0 within the UFC and undefeated in his pro MMA career so far. He shares a common opponent and outcome with Dom, as he has a victory over Dustin Jacoby. Murzakanov is currently ranked at #10 in the division while Rakic is ranked at #8. This fight would make more sense than a lot of the other matchups that could potentially be arranged. Fight could easily be on the main card of a pay-per-view or co main event of a fight night card. Winner would be able to hang on to a top 10-13 ranking.

Dominick’s next fight: Azamat Murzakanov vs Aleksandar Rakic loser

Ivan Erslan

Ivan Erslan was violently submitted in a modified rear naked choke by Jimmy Crute in the co-main event of UFC Perth Saturday. Erslan is now 0-3 with the promotion since being signed from KSW in 2024. This is the first time Ivan’s been finished with the promotion as his debut he dropped a split decision to Ion Cutelaba. Erslan then lost a unanimous decision to Navajo Stirling in May.

The light heavyweight division is currently in bad shape, as far as the roster is concerned. Still, Ivan could potentially face the axe after this loss, but if not, another defeat would surely do the job.

Erslan’s next fight should be against Rodolfo Bellato. Rodolfo lost to Navajo Stirling in the featured prelim bout of UFC Perth on Saturday. Considering Erslan had the exact same outcome against Navajo, earlier this year, it’d be a perfect fight to book. Bellato is also in a similar hot seat as he has the peculiar record of 1-1-1, 1 NC with the UFC. Rodolfo’s lone UFC victory is against Ihor Potieria (no longer with the promotion). His no contest was a controversial one, against the now retired, Paul Craig. And Rodolfo’s draw was also controversial, against none other than Jimmy Crute, back in February. So, this matchup would make a lot of sense at present. And it could be a high stakes bout with the loser likely receiving the boot.

Ivan’s next fight: Rodolfo Bellato 

Ramon Taveras

Jack Jenkins defeated Ramon Taveras on Saturday in a unanimous decision in the only fight that went the distance on the main card. To make matters worse, Taveras missed weight before the bout (147lbs.), in the second time he missed weight while under UFC contract. Ramon is undoubtedly in the hot seat moving forward as he has now missed weight in two different weight classes and also missed weight in his first Contender Series appearance.

A good next opponent for Ramon would Jeong Yeong Lee. Jeong has a similar UFC record to Ramon at 2-2 but is also riding a two-fight losing streak. The pair also share a similar pro MMA record with Tavereas now being 10-4 and Yeong Lee at 11-3. Yeong Lee was stopped by Hyder Amil in July of 2024 and most recently dropped a unanimous decision to Daniel Santos in May. This could be a really good high energy scrap, but it all depends on the direction that UFC brass wants to go considering Ramon’s weigh in history.

Ramon’s next fight: Jeong Yeong Lee or Yizha 

Jake Matthews

Neil Magny submitted Jake Matthews with slick d’arce choke in the final round of their bout on Saturday. Matthews was the only Aussie to take an L on the card, and the loss snapped a three-fight winning streak.

Matthews should fight Elizeu Zaleski in his next scrap. Zaleski has lost three of his last four bouts. In his most recent bout, Neil Magny finished him with ground strikes in round two of their August bout. Elizeu is 11-6-1 with the UFC while Matthews is 15-8. Pretty evenly matched scrap even though both guys are on slightly different trajectories. Timing matches pretty well, both guys share a common last opponent and outcome, why not book it? Could sneak into the main card order of a fight night card with the winner hoping right back into the relevant mid ranks of the 170lbs. division.

Jake’s next fight: Elizeu Zaleski

Charlie Campbell

Tom Nolan submitted Charlie Campbell with a nasty rear naked choke, to earn the third bonus on the main card of UFC Perth Saturday. The loss was Campbell’s first with the UFC after stopping Alex Reyes in his 2023 debut and defeating Trevor Peek last year.

Charlie’s next fight should be against Yanal Ashmouz. While it’s tempting to give Campbell a veteran like King Green, that may not be relevant enough of a litmus test for today’s UFC lightweight division. Yanal is a PFL veteran that is 2-2 within the UFC. Yanal lost in his most recent fight, dropping a unanimous decision to Quillan Salkilld in June. Ashmouz shares a common opponent and outcome with Campbell, and he also defeated Trevor Peek via decision in 2024. This would be a great top of the preliminary card type of fight, or potentially the main card of a Fight Night. The winner of this bout would be right in the thick of the deep waters of the UFC’s successful lightweight prospects.

Charlie’s next fight: Yanal Ashmouz

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Ulberg carried an eight-fight win streak into the headlining bout, while Reyes, resurgent after a rough patch, had won three straight.

Early on, Reyes worked from the outside, firing low kicks while Ulberg walked him down, occasionally lunging in. Very back-and-forth, with minimal action through the first couple of minutes. Reyes fanned on a high kick about two minutes in, which still drew a gasp from the crowd in Perth. A brief exchange came shortly thereafter, but the feeling out continued, neither man opening up. Ulberg would target the body, landing once or twice, while Reyes appeared to have landed little at all.

The lack of action, the chess match, ended moments later. Carlos Ulberg connected, first with a jab, then hard with a right hand, rocking Reyes and sending him toppling over to the mat. If there was any hope of Dominick Reyes recovering, it was quashed when “Black Jag” added a few follow-up strikes, removing any question as the ref came in to make the save.

A statement victory for City Kickboxing’s Carlos Ulberg, who is almost certainly the lead candidate to face the winner of Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2. Following the win, he revealed that UFC exec Hunter Campbell had suggested they’d take him out to the title fight. As for a message to whoever is champ next month, “I’m coming!” bellowed Ulberg.

Official Result: Carlos Ulberg def. Dominick Reyes by KO, Round 1, 4:27

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UFC Perth, 2025 edition, was never a great card on paper, but it has been besieged by injury and fight cancellations on top of that. Both Tafa brothers, Justin and Junior, have withdrawn from the card, with Justin Tafa making his exit on weigh-in day. During Fight Week, Oban Elliott was forced to withdraw as well. Earlier on, Doo-Ho Choi was forced out of the event.

With zero offense to Jimmy Crute, who deserves to be where he is, a fight with the 0-2 Ivan Erslan probably shouldn’t be a co-main event. Yet here we are, with a card that looks more like an Apex event than one that has fans in the building (though how many remains to be seen after a myriad of reports regarding slow ticket sales).

All that said, there’s a key fight for the light heavyweight division atop UFC Perth. Carlos Ulberg, a City Kickboxing star, has been one of the hottest hands at 205lbs of late, putting together an eight-fight win streak that includes a victory over ex-champ Jan Blachowicz. His opponent in Saturday’s (well, Sunday locally) headliner, Dominick Reyes, remains best known for a very close fight with then-champ Jon Jones. After a four-fight skid that started with his loss to “Bones,” Reyes has finally put some wins together. Three, in fact, and knocking off Ulberg might put him back in the title picture.

With Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2 just around the corner, this fight could just produce the next title challenger in the light heavyweight division.

Our picks are in for the UFC Perth main card, and here’s how we see it playing out.

Writer / Fight	Nolan vs. Campbell	Matthews vs. Magny	Jenkins vs. Taveras	Crute vs. Erslan	Ulberg vs. Reyes
Alex Behunin (100-59)
Eddie Law (102-63)
Mathis Desjardins (97-62)
Chris Prawdzik (74-49)
Brett Cagle (85-64)
Jay Anderson (97-68)
Dylan Rush (12-1)

Jimmy Crute, Jake Matthews, and Jack Jenkins were unanimous selections among our team, while the main event is a little more even, with Carlos Ulberg a slight favorite. Still, this one is coming down to a pick ’em.

The post UFC Perth: Ulberg vs. Reyes Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

“At this point I’m here to prove a point really,” Ulberg told reporters on Wednesday.

“I just need to get my goal first. I’m on a mission right now, and I think I just need to stay focused. That’s what’s going to get me to where I want to get to. I don’t want to change who I am or try and be or not. Just being simple really.

Ulberg (12-1) has been with the UFC since 2021, after first earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series the year prior. With just one blemish on his professional record, any point he feels he still has to prove carries significant weight.

“That I’m one of the best in the world,” he said.

At UFC Perth, Ulberg faces former title challenger Dominick Reyes, who once pushed Jon Jones to a decision. For Ulberg, it remains a marquee name and a major opportunity.

“He’s awesome. Good dude. I’ve had a few interactions with him even before we got named to fight for this event. I met him in Vegas and real polite, humble guy,” he said.

“Man of God so you know respect is given where it’s due. He has paid his dues in the fight game in the UFC. He had that downfall, but he’s on his way back up.”

A victory over the resurgent Reyes would be a major step for the #3 ranked light heavyweight as he continues his push toward a first title shot.

“I think that’s a good time fight someone like Dominick Reyes where he is,” said Ulberg.

“He’s on the up right now and I’m the guy to put that to an end.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Carlos Ulberg above. He headlines UFC Perth against Dominick Reyes on Saturday night.

The post Carlos Ulberg Eyes First Title Shot With Biggest Test Yet Against Reyes appeared first on Cageside Press.

For Reyes, the respect he has for Ulberg only adds to the significance of a fight he believes needs no selling.

“It’s really awesome having a man that I respect standing across from me,” Reyes told reporters on Wednesday.

“Obviously I respect everyone I come in here with. To have a quality human being like Carlos it means a lot.”

Reyes (15-4) meets Ulberg in Saturday night’s main event. While some observers feel the matchup hasn’t received the spotlight it deserves, Reyes maintains the fight doesn’t need to be “sold” to fans.

“Easy to sell this fight because we’re both great fighters. We’re gigantic, we’re very powerful, and it’s dangerous just watching us fight. There’s not a whole lot of selling necessary. It’s just show up and do what we’re going to do because people know me and my fight style,” he said.

“They know Carlos has very dangerous power and he’s also a very exciting fighter. Go out there and do our thing.”

Reyes enters the bout at a time when the light heavyweight division has more questions than answers. Newly crowned champion Magomed Ankalaev is set to meet Alex Pereira in a rematch at UFC 320, but beyond that, the landscape remains wide open.

“UFC light heavyweight division has kind of always been the exciting premiere division. Specially in the past with Rampage (Jackson) and Shogun (Rua) and all those guys. We’re having fun these days,” said Reyes.

“We’re all kind of building up good names. People are all excited to watch us all fight. It’s really exciting to be in the division again.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Dominick Reyes above. He faces Carlos Ulberg in the main event of UFC Perth on Saturday night. 

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