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Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Carlos Ulberg after UFC 327 title win?
TL;DR
Carlos Ulberg won the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 327, overcoming an early knee injury to achieve a dramatic knockout against Jiri Prochazka. The future of the 205-pound division remains uncertain due to Ulberg's injury and recent instability.
Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Carlos Ulberg after UFC 327 title win?
The UFC has a new light heavyweight champion ā but for how long?
Carlos Ulberg (13-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) claimed the vacant title in Saturday's UFC 327 main event, rallying from an early knee injury to score one of the most dramatic knockouts in recent memory against Jiri Prochazka (32-6-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at Kaseya Center in Miami.
It was utter pandemonium to see Ulberg capture the belt the way he did, but the immediate concern is how his injury will impact the 205-pound division going forward after many periods of instability in recent years.
Two divisional titleholderĀ ā Prochazka and Jamahal Hill āĀ have been forced to vacate due to injuries in this decade alone, and there's a very real chance Ulberg might be next depending on the severity of his knee. If it's a full ACL tear, as feared by some medical experts, then Ulberg could be looking at nine-to-12 months before he can step back in the cage.
That, at best, could mean an interim belt comes into play. And at worst, Ulberg will give up the strap and return to challenge whoever gets put in another vacant title fight.
The problem with that, however, is that essentially all the top light heavyweight contenders are injured or coming off losses. That list includes Magomed Ankalaev, Khalil Rountree Jr. and Jamahal Hill.
Paulo Costa might be in the best position of all after taking Azamat Murzakanov's undefeated record in the co-main event and while Dominick Reyes beat Johnny Walker on the main card, too, it was a terrible fight that no one wants to lead to a title shot.
The most high-profile option at this point might be if middleweight champ Khamzat Chimaev defends vs. Sean Strickland at UFC 328 next month then moves up to compete for the vacant or interim belt āĀ perhaps against Costa, who he has had a years-long rivalry with.
The ideal outcome, of course, is that Ulberg's injury ends up being less serious than first thought and he can get back in the next six months. That might be optimistic in a division in which nothing seems to go right, but until we know for sure, it's tricky to navigate how light heavyweight and its new king moves forward.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 327 matchmaker: Who's next for Carlos Ulberg after title win?
Q&A
What injury did Carlos Ulberg sustain during UFC 327?
Carlos Ulberg suffered an early knee injury during his fight at UFC 327.
Who did Carlos Ulberg defeat to win the light heavyweight title at UFC 327?
Carlos Ulberg defeated Jiri Prochazka to claim the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 327.
What are the implications of Ulberg's injury for the light heavyweight division?
Ulberg's injury raises concerns about the stability and future matchups within the 205-pound division.
