Top Five UFC Fights To Look Forward To In April

Jiri Prochazka v Carlos Ulberg

Sunday, 12 April SA time

A new light heavyweight champion will be crowned in Miami when these two titans collide in the main event of UFC 327 at the Kaseya Center.

With Alex Pereira vacating the title and moving up to heavyweight for an interim championship clash with Ciryl Gane at the White House in June in a bid to become the first-ever three-division champion, two of the best strikers in the division will duke it out for the 205-pound crown.

The king of chaos, Prochazka has held the title before and has been obsessed with regaining it. After two losses in title bouts against Pereira, he’s worked his way back into contention with a pair of thrilling knockout wins over former champion Jamahal Hill and former title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr.

Ulberg, meanwhile, is a fresh face in the title picture. A highly technical striker, he’s amassed a nine-fight win streak, including outworking former champion Jan Blachowicz and starching former title challenger Dominick Reyes last time out.

Joshua Van v Tatsuro Taira

Sunday, 12 April SA time

History will also be made in UFC 327’s co-headliner. It’s a second yet unique title bout as flyweight champion Van faces challenger Taira in the first UFC championship matchup between two fighters born in the 2000s.

Van, who made my list of the top five male UFC fighters of 2025, makes the first defence of his title that he won in fortuitous fashion in December. In this case, though, he made his own luck as he ended the reign of Alexandre Pantoja (click the link below to read more) to become the second-youngest champion in UFC history.

Touted as a potential future champion since he entered the UFC in 2022, Taira gets his first crack at the gold after a statement stoppage win over ex-titleholder Brandon Moreno at the end of last year. A submission specialist, he seeks to finally bring a UFC belt to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Azamat Murzakanov v Paulo Costa

Sunday, 12 April SA time

One of the bigger names on the UFC roster, Costa will be changing lanes by moving up to light heavyweight at UFC 327.

The muscle-bound Brazilian was a big player at middleweight, both literally and figuratively, and fought for the title back in 2020. He never lived up to his immense potential at 185 pounds, though, and now makes what many believe is a long overdue move to 205 pounds.

He has an opportunity to immediately establish himself as a top contender in his new weight class but faces a tall order in Murzakanov. The Russian is perfect in his pro career and has earned five of his six UFC wins by knockout, including back-to-back first-round finishes of Brendson Ribeiro and Aleksandar Rakic last year.

Gilbert Burns v Mike Malott

Sunday, 19 April SA time

A member of the old guard goes up against a prospect looking to make good on his potential in the marquee clash of UFC Winnipeg at the Canada Life Centre.

Brazil’s Burns goes into enemy territory desperate for a win. The former welterweight title challenger hasn’t won a fight in three years and seeks to stop the slide in the Great White North.

Conversely, Canada’s own Malott has managed three straight wins. A blue-chipper who has long been tipped for big things, this is his chance to break through and enter the top 15 at 170 pounds in his first UFC main event.   

Aljamain Sterling v Youssef Zalal

Sunday, 26 April SA time

A pivotal clash in the featherweight division will cap off April’s Octagon action.

UFC 116 was originally scheduled to be headlined by Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley, but the battle of elite welterweights fell through.

A former bantamweight champion, main eventing cards are nothing new for Sterling, but it is for Zalal. The former is chasing gold in a second weight class, while the latter is eager to extend his win streak to nine and move another step closer to a title shot.