{"id":379056,"date":"2025-12-31T08:58:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T08:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/379056\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T08:58:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T08:58:13","slug":"devastating-ufc-knockout-artists-reportedly-set-to-fight-in-miami-at-ufc-327","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/379056\/","title":{"rendered":"Devastating UFC knockout artists reportedly set to fight in Miami at UFC 327"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"4v\">Top-ranked light heavyweight contenders Dominick Reyes and Johnny Walker are reportedly set to meet in the first fight confirmed for UFC 327. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"4y\">With 2026 right around the corner, MMA fans are eagerly looking ahead to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/when-is-the-first-ufc-card-on-paramount-in-2026-event-schedule-revealed-for-q1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the UFC\u2019s new deal with Paramount<\/a> and a number of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-326-major-hit-paulo-costa-holloway-vs-oliveira-fight\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">high-profile fights that have already been confirmed<\/a> for UFCs 324, 325, and 326, as well as a number of scheduled UFC Fight Night events. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"51\">According to the report from <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AlexBehunin\/status\/2006131085936066644\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Alex Behunin<\/a>, UFC 327 will take place on April 11 and see the promotion return to the Kaseya Center in Miami, FL with a card that will include a matchup between Reyes and Walker. <\/p>\n<p>Dominick Reyes Looks To Kick Off Another Win Streak<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"57\">Currently the UFC\u2019s #9-ranked light heavyweight contender, Reyes carried a perfect 12-0 record into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/jon-jones-impassioned-video-pleading-ufc-white-house-fight\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">light heavyweight title shot against Jon Jones<\/a> in 2020 and came within a scorecard of unseating the future UFC Hall of Famer. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5a\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/mma-star-aaron-pico-return-ufc-debut-spoiled-2025-best-knockout\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MMA star teases return after having UFC debut spoiled by one of 2025&#8217;s best knockouts<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5d\">The controversial loss kicked off a difficult stretch of results for Reyes, who returned to action later that year and was knocked out by former light heavyweight titleholder Jan Blachowciz in the second round. \u201cThe Devastator\u201d suffered the same fate against another former champion in Ji\u0159\u00ed Proch\u00e1zka the following year, and Reyes elected to take some time off after he was also stopped by Ryan Spann in the first round at UFC 281. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01kdrwmds1bvtprtcyhv.jpg\" alt=\"Dominick Reyes (blue gloves) reacts during UFC 314 fight against Nikita Krylov (not pictured) at Kaseya Center.\" title=\"Dominick Reyes (blue gloves) reacts during UFC 314 fight against Nikita Krylov (not pictured) at Kaseya Center.\" width=\"5214\" height=\"3476\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"5m\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dominick Reyes (blue gloves) reacts during UFC 314 fight against Nikita Krylov (not pictured) at Kaseya Center. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5q\">The 36-year-old returned from his layoff in 2024 and knocked out Dustin Jacoby to kick off a run of three-straight finishes, but that streak came to a halt at UFC Perth last year when Reyes was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-perth-live-results-highlights-updates-ufc-tonight\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">knocked out by Carlos Ulberg <\/a>late in the first round of their main event fight. <\/p>\n<p>Johnny Walker Scored Major Upset In Only Fight Of 2025<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5w\">The former light heavyweight title challenger will look to get back on track in Miami when he meets Walker, who currently occupies the #12 spot in the light heavyweight rankings after snapping a two-fight skid in August. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5z\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-champion-tom-aspinall-clear-plan-return-fight-eye-surgeries\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UFC Champion Tom Aspinall sets clear plan for return fight after eye surgeries<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"62\">A contract winner on the 2018 edition of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/jean-paul-lebosnoyani-debut-houston-stunning-dana-white-ko\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dana White\u2019s Contender Series<\/a>, Walker established himself as a bit of a fan favorite when he began his UFC career with three-straight knockouts, all of which came in less than two minutes. That strong start was followed by a 1-4 run before the Brazilian strung together three more wins, but that momentum was stifled at UFC 294 when a fight with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-magomed-ankalaev-quicker-turnaround-than-expected-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">future Light Heavyweight Champion Magomed Ankalaev<\/a> ended in a No Contest. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01kdrwk1j742zg2m80x0.jpg\" alt=\"Anthony Smith (red gloves) fights Johnny Walker (blue gloves) in a light heavyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Spectrum \" title=\"Anthony Smith (red gloves) fights Johnny Walker (blue gloves) in a light heavyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Spectrum \" width=\"7548\" height=\"5032\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"6b\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Anthony Smith (red gloves) fights Johnny Walker (blue gloves) in a light heavyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Spectrum Center. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6f\">Walker was stopped by Ankalaev in their rematch before Volkan Oezdemir also knocked him out later that year, but the 33-year-old is coming off a sizable upset after he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-johnny-walker-disputes-controversial-moment-zhang-mingyang-upset\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">handed Mingyang Zhang the first loss of his UFC career <\/a>when the pair headlined UFC Shanghai in August.<\/p>\n<p>More MMA Knockout News<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6l\">\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/paulo-costa-new-fight-offer-days-withdraw-ufc-326\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UFC star signs off on new fight offer just days after withdrawing from UFC 326<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6o\">\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/oktagon-mma-champ-runs-through-martin-buday-left-ufc-win-streak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Oktagon MMA double-champ runs through top heavyweight that left UFC on win streak<\/a> <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6r\">\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ilia-topuria-hand-speed-fans-wait-ufc-champ-return-fight\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Ilia Topuria shows off blistering hand speed as fans wait on UFC champ&#8217;s return fight<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6u\">\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/mma-veteran-never-knocked-out-ufc-brutal-ko-loss-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MMA veteran that was never knocked out in the UFC suffers brutal KO loss<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-20\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6x\">Stick with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MMAKnockout<\/a>\u00a0for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-21\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"70\">Follow MMAKnockout on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MMAKnockoutSI\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UFCKnockout\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mmaknockoutsi\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Top-ranked light heavyweight contenders Dominick Reyes and Johnny Walker are reportedly set to meet in the first fight&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":379057,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,638,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-379056","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-mma","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}