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Carlos Ulberg tore ACL in UFC 327 title win vs. Jiri Prochazka: Report
TL;DR
Carlos Ulberg won the UFC 327 title by knocking out Jiri Prochazka but reportedly tore his ACL during the fight. This injury may prevent him from defending his title for an extended period.
Key points
- Carlos Ulberg won the UFC 327 title
- He knocked out Jiri Prochazka in the first round
- Ulberg suffered a torn ACL during the fight
- His injury may delay title defenses
Carlos UlbergJiri ProchazkaUFC 327
Carlos Ulberg tore ACL in UFC 327 title win vs. Jiri Prochazka: Report
The more things change, the more they stay the same in the UFC's light heavyweight division.
The 205-pound weight class got a new champion — again – this past Saturday. And yet again, that new champ won't be available to put that belt on the line for a good long time, in all likelihood.
Carlos Ulberg (14-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) pulled off a stunner in the UFC 327 main event at Kaseya Center in Miami when he knocked out Jiri Prochazka (32-6-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in the first round. That Ulberg put Prochazka out wasn't the surprising part. It was the fact that he did it after he suffered a knee injury early in the fight, and after Prochazka had him on the ropes – but didn't put him away.
Ulberg stayed in the fight and landed a left hand that dropped Prochazka, and a couple more on the canvas ended the night and made Ulberg the new champ. But that injury was as bad as initially feared, and Ulberg almost certainly will be out in the range of a year. Afterward, Prochazka claimed he was showing mercy to an injured opponent and paid the price – which was met with an overwhelming eye roll by critics who said he was making an excuse for yet another title fight loss, and one that seemed to be easily within reach for a win.
Ulberg's manager told Uncrowned the fighter tore his ACL in the fight and had surgery Thursday that "went really well."
But once again, there's a new UFC light heavyweight champion who won't be able to defend the title for a while, leaving the division in need of further upheaval at best, or on hold till Ulberg returns at worst.
Jon Jones vacated the light heavyweight title in 2020. Since then, the promotion has had six 205-pound champions in six years.
Jan Blachowicz won the title Jones vacated when he beat Dominick Reyes at UFC 253, and he defended it when then-middleweight champion Israel Adesanya moved up to go for a second belt. But he dropped it to Glover Teixeira in 2021.
Q&A
What injury did Carlos Ulberg sustain during UFC 327?
Carlos Ulberg reportedly tore his ACL during the fight against Jiri Prochazka.
How did Carlos Ulberg win the UFC 327 title?
Carlos Ulberg won the UFC 327 title by knocking out Jiri Prochazka in the first round.
What are the implications of Ulberg's injury for his title reign?
Ulberg's ACL injury may prevent him from defending his title for a significant amount of time.
Who did Carlos Ulberg defeat to become the UFC light heavyweight champion?
Carlos Ulberg became the UFC light heavyweight champion by defeating Jiri Prochazka.
