Carlos Ulberg of New Zealand shocked Jiri Prochazka in Round 1 of UFC 327 by landing a vicious left hook to capture the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at the Kaseya Center in Miami, FL, on Saturday night in front of US President Donald Trump, who was in attendance.
Ulberg won at 3:45 in Round 1 via TKO after landing a perfectly timed left hand on Prochazka’s chin and followed it up with ground-and-pound. It was a massive win for the country. Israel Adesanya (fighting out of City Kickboxing in Auckland, NZ) became New Zealand’s first UFC champion when he won the Middleweight title in 2019. Ulberg is, however, the first New Zealander to hold the Light Heavyweight title. and occurred despite Ulberg injuring his right knee early in the round, which caused him to lose his balance, therefore allowing Prochazka to target his lead leg with kicks.
After his win, Ulberg said, “I blew my knee out, and I didn’t count myself out. I just knew I needed that one punch, and once I put my left hand on him, he was done”, in his Octagon interview.
For Prochazka, losing to Ulberg brings him to 1-3 in title fights since he joined the UFC. He felt remorse for not pursuing his opponent’s knee injury. When the former champion Alex Pereira gave up his 205-pound belt to challenge himself in the heavyweight division, a title fight between the former champion and the current champion became the featured event at UFC 327.
Trump arrived at the arena alongside UFC CEO Dana White, family, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio; as he did, the crowd was drawn to him while he entered the arena to Kid Rock music.
In the second-highest-profile fight on the card, Azamat Murzakanov defeated Paulo Costa in the third round via KO. Heavyweights Josh Hokit and Curtis Blaydes fought a bloody war through three rounds before Hokit captured a unanimous decision. Following this event, Dana White announced that Josh Hokit will face Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 in June at the White House.
Ulberg’s win on Saturday night extends his current winning streak to ten and marks the beginning of a new chapter in the light heavyweight division.