Ulberg Wins LHW Title

Carlos Ulberg stopped Jiří Procházka in the first round on April 11 to win the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight belt at UFC 327 in Miami. (ufc.com) The finish came at 3:45 of Round 1 at Kaseya Center after Ulberg appeared to injure his leg early and then turned the fight with a knockout sequence. (mmajunkie.usatoday.com) Ulberg entered as the No. 3 contender and Procházka as the No. 2 contender, with the title vacant after Alex Pereira gave up the belt ahead of the April 11 card. (ufc.com) (espn.com) For Ulberg, the win capped a climb that started with a loss in his 2021 Ultimate Fighting Championship debut and ran through nine straight victories before this title shot. (espn.com) (ufc.com) The matchup also reset a division that had revolved around Pereira and Procházka for much of the past two years. Procházka had already held the belt once, then twice lost title fights to Pereira by second-round knockout before beating Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. to get back here. (espn.com) (ufc.com) Ulberg trains out of City Kickboxing in Auckland, New Zealand, and the promotion listed him at 14-1 before Saturday’s main event. Procházka came in at 32-5-1 and had 28 knockout wins on his record. (ufc.com 1) (ufc.com 2) Before the title fight, Ulberg’s most recent win was a first-round knockout of Dominick Reyes on Sept. 27, 2025. The Ultimate Fighting Championship used that run, plus earlier wins over Jan Błachowicz and Alonzo Menifield, to frame him as a top-five contender. (ufc.com 1) (ufc.com 2) The result gives the 205-pound class a new champion immediately after Pereira’s move to heavyweight opened the belt. Ulberg left Miami with the title, and the division now shifts from a vacant championship fight to its first defense. (espn.com) (ufc.com)