MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month for April: An iconic heavyweight brawl

MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month for April: An iconic heavyweight brawl

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from April 2026: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month award for April.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Nominee: MarQuel Mederos vs. Chris Padilla at UFC 327

Rising lightweights Marquel Mederos and Chris Padilla delivered a bloody and action-filled three-round fight that was marred by an overturned result.

Originally announced as a majority decision win for Padilla (16-6-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC), the fight result was switched to a majority draw when the broadcast later announced a misread scorecard for Padilla vs. Mederos (11-1-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC).

Nominee: Jai Herbert def. Manel Nallo at UFC Fight Night 273

If you have 125 seconds and are looking for violence, Jai Herbert vs. Mandel Nallo is for you.

The lightweight bout was thrilling while it lasted. Both fighters were knocked down in the opening minute, but it was Herbert (14-6-1 MMA, 4-5-1 UFC) who got the last laugh when he TKO'd Nallo (14-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) just over two minutes into the opening round.

Nominee: Charles Jourdain def. Kyle Phillips at UFC Fight Night 273

Charles Jourdain has been a bonus machine since dropping to the UFC bantamweight division, and he racked up another one for a Fight of the Night with Kyler Phillips.

Jourdain (18-8-1 MMA, 9-7-1 UFC) and Phillips (12-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) kept up a relentless pace over 15 minutes, but Jourdain’s shots seemed to be the most impactful, and he gave his home fans a worthwhile war en route to the unanimous decision.

Nominee: Davey Grant def. Adriano Luna Martinetti at UFC Fight Night 274

Davey Grant and Adrian Luna Martinetti (17-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) slugged it out for 15 minutes, and Grant may have shown the UFC newcomer about leveling up for the big leagues.

Grant (16-8 MMA, 9-7 UFC) nearly skipped his post-fight news conference to get sent to the hospital following his unanimous decision win, but made a brief appearance after the blood-soaked tilt with Martinetti (17-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who fell short in his debut after an classic battle to earn a contract on Dana White's Contender Series.

The winner: Josh Hokit def. Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327

There was a lot of anticipation and buzz about Josh Hokit and Curtis Blaydes in the lead-up to UFC 327, but much of it was not based around the actual fight itself. But in reflection, it turns out the fight really, really didn't need any extracurriculars.

At Saturday's event at Kaseya Center, Hokit (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Blaydes (19-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC) turned home an all-time heavyweight classic – abandoning their usual grapple-heavy attacks to play rock 'em, sock 'em robots for a full 15 minutes. When the dust settled, Hokit showed it wasn't too much, too soon – as he won by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Hokit had success early in the fight, putting Blaydes on rollerblades early. But Blaydes stormed back late, as he unloaded punch after punch as Hokit was backed up against the fence. Much of Hokit's "alter-ego" character was left at the door, though middle fingers were flipped and signals to the crowd came after every round.

Somehow, both men survived to see Round 2, which is when Hokit slowly began to take over. Hokit landed over and over again, clearly the quicker fighter. But Blaydes hung tough and continued to have his moments, despite being visibly drained for his attempt to unload in Round 1.

Round 3 was a tad slower but the effort and game plans remained the same: brawl. Blaydes, with a busted up face, absorbed everything Hokit had. But in the end, the UFC heavyweight division has a new contender and his name is Josh Hokit.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month, April 2026: An epic heavyweight brawl