Dominick Reyes got back in the win column with a narrow split decision over Johnny Walker at UFC 327 on April 11 in Miami, taking two scorecards at 29-28 while Walker earned the third 29-28 the other way.
It was a close fight, and the scores reflected that. Reyes had the cleaner moments across the three rounds and did enough to convince two judges, while Walker had stretches where his movement, range, and awkward offense made things difficult. Nobody ran away with it, which is exactly why the split call felt right for the fight that played out.
For Reyes, the result matters because he is still trying to rebuild momentum in a division that has changed a lot since his title-chase years. A win over Walker is not the same as erasing the rough stretch that came before it, but it does give him another useful result against a recognizable light heavyweight name. On a card that already featured stories like Aaron Pico’s decision win over Patricio Pitbull, Reyes added another competitive result to the UFC 327 lineup.
Walker had his moments too. He stayed dangerous in spots, mixed up his attack, and forced Reyes to work for everything. That made this less about dominance and more about who could bank enough clean rounds without making the bigger mistakes. Reyes was slightly steadier, and that was enough to get him through.
Got the job done 💪@DomReyes earns the split-decision victory at #UFC327.
[ LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/sXwnsDdiRV
— UFC (@ufc) April 12, 2026
Dominick Reyes did just enough in a close fight with Johnny Walker
The biggest takeaway is that Reyes stayed composed in a matchup that easily could have turned chaotic. Walker is still one of those fighters who can make a fight weird in a hurry, and Reyes did a better job of keeping things within a manageable range instead of getting dragged into bad exchanges.
That does not make it a flawless performance, and it does not suddenly answer every question about where Reyes stands at 205. What it does give him is a needed result against a dangerous opponent, which still has value in a division where one or two wins can move a fighter back into the conversation quickly.
For Walker, it is another frustrating loss because he was close enough to make a case, but not sharp enough to remove doubt from the scorecards. In a fight this tight, small edges decide everything.
