What’s the Point of ‘Razor’s Upcoming Bout at UFC 327?
UFC 327 is around the corner, and fans have been excited since the announcement of Jiri Prochazka and Carlos ‘Black Jag’ Ulberg headlining the card in late February. With the men’s Flyweight Championship bout between Tatsuro ‘The Best’ Taira and Joshua ‘The Fearless’ Van rescheduled for UFC 328 due to the champ suffering an injury in training camp, Curtis ‘Razor’ Blaydes and Josh Hokit are now the third-to-last bout in the entire event. Some in the MMA community have voiced concerns as Hokit is an unranked fighter getting an opportunity against a well-established veteran. Hokit is doing everything in his power to promote the fight, build himself up as a legitimate threat in the UFC, and the trash-talk that everyone sees. Blaydes is ignoring all the antics, stating that his actions will speak for him in the octagon on Saturday. Here are some reasons why this fight doesn’t make sense.
First and foremost, ‘Razor’ is the fifth-ranked UFC heavyweight, and Hokit has yet to fight and beat any top-15 UFC Heavyweight. The division is top-heavy, with the top five UFC heavyweights being legit threats for the gold and having had periods of success, albeit inconsistently. Blaydes’ last fight was in June 2025; he had to have surgery and fully recovered. He was waiting on the sidelines for a fight to come his way for the past several months. Blaydes sees himself now as an elite UFC Heavyweight gatekeeper who stops unprepared hype trains in their tracks. Hokit isn’t an established fighter; Blaydes said that Hokit’s technique and fighting style are sloppy and easy to counter. Blaydes views this fight as either a tune-up for another title campaign or a potential prospect masterclass should Hokit defeat him cleanly. If he treats this like his fight against Derrick ‘The Black Beast’ Lewis, we could see Blaydes lose in another upset. Hokit would vault from being unranked to becoming a top-five heavyweight in the UFC should he win Saturday and build up his credibility.
The second reason this fight doesn’t make sense is that Razor's injury history suggests that he doesn’t have too many fights left in the tank. Is this really a fight worth going out on? Should it be one of his last ones? Blaydes didn’t want to wait around for an opponent anymore since he’s been waiting for a fight for the past several months, but he could’ve waited a couple more months to fight a more credible opponent to further his championship aspirations. Hopefully, his share of the purse in this fight is worth it for him.
The question is: What does ‘Razor’ have to gain with a win? A dominant performance will have fans further questioning the UFC's matchmaking capabilities rather than crediting Blaydes for doing a good job. Would a win really create a path for him to go after the UFC Heavyweight Championship one more time? Maybe it sets up that path, but a victory in this fight doesn’t mean Blaydes will automatically fight a top-five UFC heavyweight. It certainly doesn’t help that Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira and Ciryl ‘Bon Gamin’ Gane are fighting for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship at UFC Freedom 250 in June, the belt Blaydes fought for in 2023. A third bout between Blaydes and current champ Tom Aspinall could generate some interest and momentum, with some of the fan base having soured on Aspinall due to the way he’s handled his first title defense against Gane. A split decision victory or any sort of defeat in this upcoming bout against Hokit would strip Blaydes of some of his credibility and stop all momentum towards a final title campaign.
