The UFC Light Heavyweight Title: A Visual History

Ben Duffy/Sherdog.com illustration

The evening may have ended with “and new,” but somehow we were left with even more questions than we started with.

In the main event of UFC 327 on Saturday in Miami, Carlos Ulberg blasted Jiri Prochaka with a picture-perfect left hook, then pounded him senseless with a brutal series of ground strikes. With that resounding first-round finish of a former champ, “Black Jag” became the 19th man to wear the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight belt.

Of course, the stat line tells only half of the story, as Ulberg’s memorable knockout came after suffering an apparently severe injury to his right leg. The title bout seemed to be over practically before it started—or would have been, except that Prochazka, rather than continue to kick Ulberg’s legs or even just wait out the clock and take the all but guaranteed doctor stoppage between rounds, elected instead to stand, brawl and give his hobbled opponent the only kind of fight he had any prayer of winning.

Fan reaction in the wake of UFC 327 was polarized, with some fans finding Prochazka’s gesture noble while others saw it as foolish, and ironically, the controversial main event may not even have solved the problem it was meant to. Prochazka vs. Ulberg was, after all, booked to fill the title vacated by Alex Pereira’s decision to move up to heavyweight. Now, with a new champ crowned only to face an immediate and possibly lengthy injury layoff, we may find ourselves in a similar situation before the year is out.

Here is the nearly three-decade history of the UFC light heavyweight title and the times it was won, lost or defended. It tells the story of MMA’s glamour division, populated by some of its biggest stars and most accomplished athletes—but with more than enough weirdness to remind us that this is still cage fighting.

Ben Duffy/Sherdog.com illustration