TLDR
- Carlos Ulberg knocked out Jiri Prochazka at 3:45 of Round 1 to win the UFC light heavyweight championship
- Ulberg suffered a right knee injury early in the fight that caused him to stumble repeatedly
- Despite the injury, Ulberg landed a left hook that dropped Prochazka and finished with ground strikes
- Prochazka admitted he felt mercy and dropped his guard after seeing Ulberg’s injury
- This was Prochazka’s third failed attempt to reclaim the title he vacated in 2022 due to injury
Sources: ESPN | MMA Junkie | ESPN
MIAMI – Carlos Ulberg became the UFC light heavyweight champion Saturday night in one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent UFC history. The 35-year-old knocked out Jiri Prochazka at 3:45 of the first round at UFC 327 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
Ulberg won the vacant title despite suffering a right knee injury early in the fight. His knee buckled during an exchange on the feet, causing him to slip to the canvas.
The injury appeared to give Prochazka a clear path to victory. Ulberg’s knee continued to buckle repeatedly, and he stumbled to the ground multiple times.
Prochazka seemed to recognize the injury and even pointed to the ground in front of Ulberg. He appeared to gesture that he would stand and trade in place rather than press his advantage.
ON ONE LEG 🤯@UlbergCarlos is the new light heavyweight champion of the world with a thunderous RD1 knockout at #UFC327! pic.twitter.com/PxkxsVHo5Z
— UFC (@ufc) April 12, 2026
The Finishing Sequence
Despite his compromised mobility, Ulberg remained calm and landed a perfect left hook that dropped Prochazka to the canvas. He followed with ground strikes that forced the stoppage.
“I blew out my knee, but I never counted myself out,” Ulberg said after the fight. “I knew that all I needed was that one shot. I knew Jiri would come forward. I knew as soon as I landed the left hand, he was gone.”
According to UFC Stats, Ulberg outlanded Prochazka 21-11 in total strikes during the brief fight. The knockout was the sixth of Ulberg’s career.
Prochazka landed several leg kicks to Ulberg’s lead left leg after the injury occurred. At one point, it appeared doctors might need to stop the bout between rounds if it continued.
Prochazka’s Regret
After the fight, Prochazka admitted he made a critical error by showing compassion during the bout. “I felt mercy in that fight,” Prochazka said. “I felt sorry for him. This is one of the biggest lessons in my life.”
“I can’t understand. That fight was won. I had it. It was in my hand,” he continued. “I just let him back because I saw his injury.”
The loss marked Prochazka’s third failed attempt to reclaim the title he was forced to vacate in 2022 due to injury. He now has a record of 32-6-1 in his career and 6-3 in the UFC.
Prochazka won the light heavyweight championship in 2022 but had to give up the belt because of a shoulder injury. He is now 3-2 in his last five fights.
Ulberg improved his record to 14-1 overall and 10-1 in the UFC. The victory extended his winning streak to eight fights, dating back to a loss to Kennedy Nzechukwu in his promotional debut.
The New Zealand fighter trains at City Kickboxing, the same gym as former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Ulberg joins them as the third City Kickboxing fighter to win a UFC title.
Ulberg joins Alex Pereira and Muhammed Lawal as the only men to knock out Prochazka in his career.
UFC CEO Dana White said he did not have an update on Ulberg’s knee injury immediately after the fight. Ulberg acknowledged he needs to “sort this knee out” before his first title defense.
The main card also featured Paulo Costa earning a TKO victory over Azamat Murzakanov with a head kick at 1:23 of Round 3. Josh Hokit defeated Curtis Blaydes by unanimous decision with scores of 29-28 on all three judges’ cards.
