What’s Next For Jiri?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 04: Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic reacts to his knockout of Khalil Rountree Jr. in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC 320 event at T-Mobile Arena on October 04, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

UFC 327 went down last Saturday night (April 11, 2026) inside Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla., leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Azamat Murzakanov, who suffered the first loss of his professional combat career thanks to a knockout delivered at the hands of Paulo Costa.

And Nate Landwehr, who was stopped by Cub Swanson in the very first round (highlights). But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?

Jiri Prochazka.

Coming into his headlining bout against Carlos Ulberg, “Denisa” was hoping to finally reclaim the 205-pound title he was forced to give up in 2022 after vacating it due to injury before ever getting the chance to defend it. Since then, the hard-hitting big man had come up short in two previous bids against Alex Pereira, but after two consecutive third-round knockout wins over Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. he found himself back in a title fight.

Unfortunately, he came up short once again.

Things started off pretty good for Prochazka, who was determined to be the one to push the pace and control the fight. A few minutes into the fight, though, Ulberg suffered a knee injury, which became apparent to Prochazka. While he didn’t attack the site of the injury, he did start to punish the other leg with kicks. What was puzzling is that Prochazka didn’t go full speed ahead to take advantage of his wounded foe to put an end to the fight.

In the blink of an eye, Ulberg unleashed a check hook that caught Prochazka flush, dropping him like a bag of concrete. What followed was a barrage of strikes from a comprised fighter that put the former champion out for the count (see it again here). And just like that Prochazka’s championship dreams went up in smoke once more. Afterward, he claimed he showed “mercy” on Ulberg due to his injury, which is why he had brief lapse that ultimately led to his demise.

“I felt mercy — I felt sorry for him,” Prochazka admitted following the fight. “This is one of the biggest lessons of my life. It was in my hands and I just let him [win].”

It was an odd admission from a world class fighter who should know better than taking your foot off the gas pedal in a fight out of sympathy. That said, I’m not totally buying it. I personally didn’t see one fighter let another win out of sheer pity. What I — and the rest of the world — saw was one deck the other with a clean shot, period.

But if that’s what allows Prochazka to sleep better at night then more power to him.

As far as what’s next for “Denisa,” perhaps a rematch against Dominick Reyes is in order. While it may seem like an odd matchup at first glance, it might be the only one that makes sense given how the rest of the division is matched up in the coming months. Reyes is coming off a lackluster win over Johnny Walker at UFC 327, so a turnaround time might sync up for the two men. Jiri already has a knockout win over Reyes five years ago, but now might be the time to run it back given their place in the division. If not, then taking on the loser of Blachowicz vs. Guskov could be in order.

As far as an immediate rematch against Ulberg, that simply isn’t in the cards.

For complete UFC 327 fight card results, coverage and highlights click HERE.