Ulberg (14-1) defeated Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 327 main event in Miami last weekend, essentially doing so on one leg after suffering a knee injury early in the fight. Prochazka appeared to have the win in the bag but was caught by a check left hook on the way in. That put Ulberg in an interesting spot: a new champ (winning the title vacated by Alex Pereira), but one who immediately knew he’d be on the shelf for a while.

Uncrowned first reported Ulberg’s ACL tear and surgery, and now “Black Jag” has confirmed as much, revealing he was already out of surgery.

He also appears to have recovered the championship belt he lost while celebrating his win over Prochazka. Initially, he told FOX Sports Australia that he had lost it while partying.

” I don’t know exactly where it is. Initially, after winning, the plan was to not have a drink. But you know how these things go, right? First, someone gives you a champagne to celebrate. Then one thing leads to another, and you’re doing shots,” Ulberg admitted (h/t Bloody Elbow). “So it’s ‘Okay, I’ll have another, and another, and another.”

“I didn’t want to be carrying the belt around, so I think it’s still there at the apartment somewhere,” he added. “One of the boys probably has it in bed with him.”

It appears it’s back as it’s once again featured on Ulberg’s social media profiles. As for a return timeframe, meanwhile, there’s none in sight as he recovers from ACL surgery.

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Carlos Ulberg

What a clutch win by the Kiwi. With an obvious injury to his right leg, it looked like a Jiri Prochazka victory was a formality. Ulberg probably wouldn’t have been cleared by his corner or the doctor for a second round, so he had to take care of Prochazka in this opening round, with a compromised leg. And that’s exactly what he did. He landed his favourite shot, a clean left hook, and put Jiri out cold.

As for what’s next for the newly crowned champion, anything is on the table. The top contenders are all coming off losses, so maybe Paulo Costa’s win over Murzakanov will be enough to sneak into a title fight. Should Alex Pereira be unsuccessful in his bid at heavyweight and look to come back down, an immediate title shot would certainly be in the cards. And who knows how long Ulberg’s recovery from his leg injury will take? Maybe by the time he’s ready to come back a clear number one contender will have emerged. If Bogdan Guskov puts out Jan Blachowicz in highlight reel fashion, he might steal the number one slot. For now, though, it’s difficult to find someone with a better case than Paulo Costa.

Ulberg’s next fight: Paulo Costa

Paulo Costa

Despite barely holding on to a ranking at middleweight, the Brazilian knocked out the undefeated, top10-ranked Azamat Murzakanov in the third round. Light-heavyweight being the state that it is, who knows what could be next for “The Eraser”. I love the idea of Costa facing off with Jiri Prochazka, but Jiri should look to take some time off after getting brutally put out by Ulberg. With Magomed Ankalaev, Khalil Rountree Jr., Jamahal Hill and the aforementioned Prochazka all coming off losses, Costa may just currently have the best case for a title shot, as wild as that sounds.

Costa’s next fight: Carlos Ulberg

Josh Hokit

Usually we hear that the UFC “doesn’t make fights the night of,” but Josh Hokit’s brawl with Curtis Blaydes was too good not to stick him on the White House card right away. Time will tell if fighting Derrick Lewis barely two months after taking over one hundred strikes from Curtis Blaydes will pay off, but for now, there’s no matchmaking needed for me to make on my end.

Hokit’s next fight: Derrick Lewis

Dominick Reyes

Dominick Reyes may have gotten back in the win column, but we can’t pretend he did it in impressive fashion. Johnny Walker has been quite a vulnerable target for any decent puncher at 205 pounds, but Reyes still put on a pretty anemic performance and did just enough to get away with a split decision. He doesn’t deserve a big fight after a performance like this, so I think the loser of the upcoming Blachowicz/Guskov rematch makes sense.

Reyes’ next fight: Blachowicz/Guskov 2 loser

Cub Swanson

Getting back-to-back knockouts like the ones Swanson got against Billy Quarantillo and now Nate Landwehr, Killer Cub clearly still has it. But 42 years of age is a good time to call it a career and props to Cub, the last remaining WEC alumni, for going out on a high note like this one. Happy retirement Cub!

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Ulberg knocked out Jiri Prochazka in the main event of UFC 327 in Miami to claim gold, but was critically injured in the fight, limping around the cage with a possible blown ACL or similar knee injury. That he was even able to finish the former champion, inside of the first round, was a miracle in and of itself.

“It is all over the place at the moment,” Ulberg (14-1) said following the win, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. “It hasn’t really sunk in, but the team is happy, we’re happy, we came in and we got the job done. And that’s what we are here for, is to get that title. And we did that.”

The key to survival as a wounded fighter, explained Ulberg, was “adapting on the fly,” and he noted that “we’re in a big fight, and you expect things like this to happen. So I never counted myself out at any moment.”

“Just sticking to the plan, sticking to the game plan, and I think that’s what got us there in the end, was staying calm. Staying calm, and whatever fire came through us. I guess Jiri made the mistake of coming forward as I was on the cage, and it walked into that left hook.”

Prochazka, following the win, bemoaned that he had shown mercy on Ulberg, backing off a bit due to his injured leg. Ulberg himself would not have employed the same strategy, he admitted. “I feel like he made the mistake there, because I would not have done the same. If you were in there to get that title, you do whatever it takes to get that win.”

The light heavyweight title picture is in flux at the moment. Dominick Reyes picked up a win on Saturday but was essentially booed out of the building, and already has a loss to Ulberg. Paulo Costa was successful as well, but was previously fighting at middleweight. Alex Pereira has gone up to heavyweight.

“I’m not too sure who else is there. Who knows, we’ll leave it up to the guys who know what they’re doing,” Ulberg said in regards to potential title defenses. “And I just get myself into the gym and prepare for whatever is next.”

With the injury, of course, what’s next might not be for a while.

Watch the full UFC 327 post-fight press conference with Carlos Ulberg above.

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Hokit, who improved to 9-0 with a win over Curtis Blaydes, picked up both Fight of the Night, shared with Blaydes, and Performance of the Night bonuses at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

The fight with Blaydes was a war right out of the gate. Setting a record for significant strikes at heavyweight, the bout was quickly compared to Bigfoot Silva vs. Mark Hunt, and is already being called a Fight of the Year candidate. As well as being called the best heavyweight fight of all time.

Hokit’s win is a huge feather in his cap after he spent Fight Week playing a host of cringe-worthy pro wrestling-style personas. Anything but a win was going to be disaster for his career. Instead, he’s now booked into a fight with Derrick Lewis at the White House in June. He’s also $200,000 richer.

Aside from Hokit and Blaydes, Carlos Ulberg picked up bonus money at UFC 327. Blowing out his knee early in the main event, the City Kickboxing star was still able to put away Jiri Prochazka with a check left hook in the main event. That was enough for a Performance of the Night award.

Both Blaydes and Ulberg take home $100,000 U.S. Vicente Luque, Cub Swanson, and Paulo Costa all earn $25,000 for their respective finishes on the night, which saw a gate of $7 million U.S. at the Kaseya Center, with attendance of 17,741 announced by UFC CEO and President Dana White.

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Prochazka was trying to regain the title he once held, while City Kickboxing’s Carlos Ulberg was getting his first championship opportunity in the main event in Miami, Florida.

A bit of a chess match opened the UFC 327 main event, though Ulberg would look to work in some calf kicks. In an early exchange, Ulberg’s knee appeared to buckle, and Prochazka took immediate advantage, kicking his kegs out from under him. Prochazka being aware meant he kept the fight standing, and continued to target the leg. A couple of outside kicks to the back of the knee forced Ulberg to step lightly, and he later fell off a kick of his own.

When Ulberg connected with a left hand, he went down on his own, and it seemed it was game over for “Black Jag.” The New Zealand native had other plans. Backed up against the fence almost for balance, Ulberg caught Prochazka with a check left hook on the way in. Prochazka went down, rolling over, but Ulberg had it in him to get on top and add some finishing strikes. The ref called it, and Carlos Ulberg, despite an apparently serious calf injury, had light heavyweight gold!

Ulberg suggested after the fight that he’d blown out his knee. He may be the first UFC champion to see an interim title fight in play the very same night he won his UFC title – but he won it nonetheless, and in memorable fashion.

Official Result: Carlos Ulberg def. Jiri Prochazka by KO, Round 1, 3:45

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A brilliant submission by Vicente Luque over Ultimate Fighter winner Kelvin Gastelum, with both now fighting at middleweight.

The first ever stoppage of Loopy Godinez, by recent strawweight title challenger Tatiana Suarez, working her way back to a shot at gold.

One of the most anticipated Bellator fights of all time, coming inside the UFC octagon, and seeing Aaron Pico earn his first win in the company over ex-double champ Patricio Pitbull

The retirement of Cub Swanson, going out on a high with a picture-perfect, patient, and punishing performance against Nate Landwehr who didn’t make it out of the first round.

Fair enough, we won’t talk about Dominick Reyes vs. Johnny Walker, with the paired booed out of the building. We will talk about Josh Hokit vs. Curtis Blaydes, which turned out to be one of the best heavyweight fights of all time. Up there with Bigfoot Silva vs. Mark Hunt, Hokit vs. Blaydes started at a breakneck pace and while the big men slowed as the fight went on, they never stopped swining.

Hokit had gone the pro wrestling route with some rather cringe personas throughout the week, but he came away with a win over a legitimate contender, in a Fight of the Night (and even Fight of the Year) contender that no one saw coming.

Following all that and Jiri Prochazka vs. Carlos Ulberg in the main event, tune in for the UFC 327 post-fight press conference above.

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Even the loss of Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira, shifted to next month’s New Jersey card, didn’t hurt UFC 327 too much. With Alex Pereira having vacated his title in favor of a move to heavyweight, it was Jiri Prochazka vs. Carlos Ulberg headlining the show.

Prochazka was a former champ once again trying to reclaim his 205lb title; Ulberg was a City Kickboxing product on a nine-fight win streak ready for his first shot at gold. Either one was a worthy successor to “Poatan,” though Prochazka appeared to be the fan favorite in Miami this week.

The most anticipated Bellator MMA fight in years also arrived in Miami on Saturday, as part of the UFC 327 prelims. Patricio Pitbull and Aaron Pico had long been expected to face off in their own home, since acquired by the PFL and mothballed. With both now calling the UFC home, matchmakers took advantage and finally got the booking done.

Cub Swanson, meanwhile, kicked off the UFC 327 main card in his retirement fight. The WEC and UFC legend and Hall of Famer (for his UFC 206 scrap with Doo-Ho Choi) was calling it a career, the last active WEC star on the roster, in a fight with Nate Landwehr.

Our picks are in for UFC 327! Here’s who we see coming out ahead.

Writer / Fight	Swanson vs. Landwehr	Reyes vs. Walker	Blaydes vs. Hokit	Costa vs. Murzakanov	Prochazka vs. Ulberg
Eddie Law
Jay Anderson
Chris Prawdzik
Mathis Desjardins
Brett Cagle
Patrick Danna
Alex Behunin

It’s a landslide in the main event, with all writers responding by deadline siding with Jiri Prochazka. Despite an impressive win streak, no love for Carlos Ulberg here.

There isn’t much love for the Clown Prince of the heavyweight division either. Only one writer is siding with Josh Hokit, who has been taking on pro-wrestling style personas, with mixed results, ahead of his fight with Curtis Blaydes. “Razor” Blaydes has played it cool and has a considerable weight advantage in the fight itself.

The post UFC 327: Prochazka vs. Ulberg Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

A new flyweight champion will not be.

While Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg have made it to the date intact for their main event fight, which has the belt vacated by Alex Pereira on the line, Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira were not so lucky. With Van injured, their planned co-main event has shifted to UFC 328 in New Jersey, forcing Taira to wait another month for his shot at gold.

Still, UFC 327 has plenty to offer. The main event, the retirement fight of Cub Swanson, Paulo Costa moving to 205lbs, and the long awaited Bellator super-fight between Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and Aaron Pico.

Weigh-ins for UFC 327 take place Friday in Miami started at 9AM ET, 6AM PT. Results can be found below.

UFC 327: Prochazka vs. Ulberg Weigh-In Results

Main card
Light Heavyweight: Jiří Procházka (203) vs. Carlos Ulberg (204) — for the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship
Light Heavyweight: Azamat Murzakanov (205) vs. Paulo Costa (205)
Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes (261) vs. Josh Hokit (233)
Light Heavyweight: Dominick Reyes (205) vs. Johnny Walker (205)
Featherweight: Cub Swanson (146) vs. Nate Landwehr (145)

Preliminary card 

Featherweight: Patrício Pitbull (145) vs. Aaron Pico (145)
Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot (156) vs. Esteban Ribovics (155)
Welterweight: Kevin Holland (171) vs. Randy Brown (171)
Women’s Strawweight: Tatiana Suarez (116) vs. Loopy Godinez (116)

Early preliminary card

Lightweight: Chris Padilla (158)* vs. MarQuel Mederos (155)
Middleweight: Kelvin Gastelum (185) vs. Vicente Luque (185)
Welterweight: Charles Radtke (170) vs. Francisco Prado (170)

* Missed Weight, gives up 20% of his purse, but fight will go on.

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With Alex Pereira moving to heavyweight (making his debut as part of Freedom 250 at the White House in June), Jiri Prochazka now has a chance to reclaim his old title. Opposite him, Carlos Ulberg, a City Kickboxing star and teammate of Israel Adesanya sitting on a very impressive nine-fight win streak.

It’s a striking fan’s dream, the sort of title fight that promises to end well inside 25 minutes. Yet originally, it was to be paired with the flyweight title bout between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira.

The UFC’s luck of late has not been great, and it failed them once again at UFC 327 with Van pulling out due to injury. That fight has now been shifted to UFC 328 in Newark.

Still, Prochazka vs. Ulberg alone is more than enough to carry a PPV card for a change. And with some other bright spots, including Paulo Costa moving to light heavyweight and the long-awaited Bellator super-fight between Patricio Pitbull and Aaron Pico, there’s plenty for fans in Miami to get excited about.

Ahead of UFC 327, tune in for the event’s pre-fight press conference, which kicks off at 5PM ET, 2PM PT on Thursday.

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The fight with Jiri Prochazka is a striking fan’s dream, with Prochazka promising to work on his notorious slow starts. Ulberg, meanwhile, doesn’t expect the Czech star to come out reckless, but he does see holes in the former champ’s game.

“I definitely see a lot of holes in the game, I think there’s a lot of fighters with holes in their game,” stated Ulberg (13-1) during Wednesday’s media day, before adding “I’m purely focused on what I bring to the table. I go in there and do what I do best.”

Becoming champion and being the best light heavyweight in the world is something “Black Jag” always had faith in, he told media outlets including Cageside Press.

“I always knew that I was going to be the best, and that I was working towards being the best. This division, you throw a punch and you land, anyone can fall. It’s a game of inches,” Ulberg said. “I always had that belief in myself, and now we’re here. It’s just about proving it to others.”

Nor did he shy away from envisioning what winning the title would be like. “There’s always the vision, you’ve got to have that belief and the faith that you can get that belt and visualize it. I guess the pure focus is me just going in there and getting the work done and handling business.”

The UFC 327 main event is as notable for who isn’t fighting in it as who is. Alex Pereira vacated his light heavyweight title in favor of a move to heavyweight; that facilitated Prochazka vs. Ulberg. “Poatan” Pereira, meanwhile, remains a fight that is of great interest to Carlos Ulberg.

“I would have loved to have fought the champion, definitely, because that would have etched me up to be the best. He is the man right now and he’s definitely the man I wanted to fight for the title,” Ulberg said on Wednesday.

The New Zealander believes the bout could still happen. “I think a dominant win here could definitely lure Pereira back to the division, and test himself as well.”

As he later put it, “to be the man you’ve got the beat the man, if you want to be the best you’ve got to beat him [Pereira]. So he’s definitely a guy that I’ve been keeping a close eye on, and wanting that fight, because I know that would be the fight to make happen.”

That said, Ulberg noted that “the pure focus has always been, and it’s always been for me, focusing on what’s at hand and what’s in front of me.”

That would be Jiri Prochazka this Saturday.

Watch the full UFC 327 media day appearance by Carlos Ulberg above.

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