Coach Eugene Bareman 'was panicking' before Carlos Ulberg's UFC 327 KO

Coach Eugene Bareman 'was panicking' before Carlos Ulberg's UFC 327 KO

Carlos Ulberg's head coach went through the full range of emotions as his fighter pulled off one of the most spectacular title wins in recent memory at UFC 327.

City Kickboxing leader Eugene Bareman was the chief corner for Ulberg (14-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) on Saturday for his vacant light heavyweight title fight vs. Jiri Prochazka (32-6-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at Kaseya Center in Miami. It was Ulberg's first crack at gold, and the fight started with a total nightmare.

Just moments into the matchup, Ulberg sustained a knee injury that immediately hindered him. He was hobbled and in survival mode, and as Prochazka stood in front of him, the New Zealander landed a nasty left hook that floored his opponent. Ulberg pounced with punches and put his opponent out cold, winning the belt and leaving everyone watch in a state of disbelief.

"From the jaws of defeat," Bareman said in a backstage interview with Daniel Cormier for his YouTube channel. "Trust me, our heart was jumping out of our chest. I was panicking the most, but a lot of our coaches were OK with it because they knew Jiri would kind of come to us then. They were kind of right. That's why I've got brilliant coaching partners, as well."

What made the result the most shocking was in the moments prior to the finish, Ulberg was struggling to put full power on his shots because of his unsteady knee. Bareman said that's what makes Ulberg so special, though, because while he might be a big man, it's arguable there are most devastating knockout artists in the division.

Bareman said Ulberg has something arguably better than that though with his sniper-like striking, and ultimately that's what led to his title-winning moment at UFC 327.

"It's just timing," Bareman said. "Carlos is about perfect timing and precision. He's not a big power-puncher like a lot of those light heavyweights. It's all about the precise timing and catching people when they're moving forward. That's exactly what he did. I was just relieved because you would've seen the panic on my face, brother, when that knee was compromised. All of us know how to fight when you get injured like that and we know it's a very tough road from that point onwards."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 327: Carlos Ulberg's coach 'was panicking' before stunning KO