TLDR
- Carlos Ulberg faces Jiri Prochazka for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 327 on Saturday in Miami
- Alex Pereira vacated the 205-pound belt to pursue the interim heavyweight championship on June 14
- Ulberg says preparing for the unpredictable Prochazka has been tricky but believes he’s ready for the fight
- The New Zealand fighter enters the bout on a nine-fight winning streak with a 13-1 professional record
- Ulberg hopes a dominant win will lure Pereira back to light heavyweight for a future matchup
Sources: bjpenn.com | bjpenn.com | mmafighting.com
Carlos Ulberg will compete for his first UFC championship this Saturday at UFC 327, but the fighter admits he’s disappointed he won’t be facing Alex Pereira for the belt.
Ulberg meets Jiri Prochazka in the main event on Saturday in Miami for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title. The championship became available after Pereira vacated the 205-pound belt to move up to heavyweight and chase the interim title on June 14.
When asked if he was bummed about missing his chance to fight Pereira, Ulberg gave a clear answer. “100 percent,” Ulberg told MMA Fighting. “Yeah, that’s it. It could be gone, right?”
However, Ulberg believes the fight could still happen down the road. “That could present itself in some other way, and I’m pretty sure it might still happen,” he said.
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Preparing for Prochazka’s Unpredictable Style
For now, Ulberg must focus on the challenge in front of him. During an interview with UFC.com, he acknowledged that getting ready for Prochazka has been difficult.
“Yeah, there’s no real preparing for a particular fighter like Jiri,” Ulberg said. “He’s very unpredictable.”
The fight came together on short notice for both fighters. Despite the compressed timeline, Ulberg said his team has been planning for this possibility for years.
“We’ve seen that Jiri could be a possible opponent, whether it be for the title or not; he would be someone in my path,” Ulberg explained. “We’ve always been ready.”
Ulberg earned his title shot by winning nine straight fights. His most recent victory came with a first-round knockout over Dominick Reyes at UFC Perth in September. That win improved his professional MMA record to 13-1.
Prochazka secured his spot in the title fight with a comeback knockout win over Khalil Rountree at UFC 320. The Czech fighter is a former UFC light heavyweight champion who has only lost to Pereira inside the octagon.
Path Back to Pereira
Ulberg told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 327 media day that he believes a strong performance this weekend could bring Pereira back to 205 pounds. “I think a win here, a dominant win here could definitely lure Pereira back to the division and test himself, as well,” he said.
The 35-year-old from New Zealand has long viewed Pereira as the ultimate test. He previously told MMA Fighting that he sees “Poatan” as “superhuman” and has wanted to face him whether a title was on the line or not.
“He’s the man at the moment and to be the man you’ve got to beat the man,” Ulberg said. “If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat him.”
Ulberg expressed support for Pereira’s decision to move up in weight. “If you’ve done what you need to do, you’ve proved yourself in the light heavyweight division and in the middleweight division, then why not go up and do something that no one’s ever done before,” he said.
Despite his focus on a potential Pereira matchup, Ulberg maintains respect for his current opponent. “I’ve always been a fan,” Ulberg said about Prochazka. “There’s always going to be respect when it comes to anyone that I could be possibly fighting.”
Ulberg acknowledged that what worked for Pereira against Prochazka may not apply to his own approach. “Every fight’s going to be different, every opponent’s going to be different and pose their different threats,” he said. “It’s about whoever finds their flow first, I think that’s what’s going to get them that win.”
