Ulberg wins title

Carlos Ulberg won the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title on April 11, stopping Jiří Procházka by first-round knockout in the UFC 327 main event in Miami. (espn.com) The finish came at 3:45 of Round 1 at Kaseya Center, after Ulberg appeared to hurt his knee early and kept fighting anyway. ESPN’s official result listed the win as a knockout by punches for Ulberg, a New Zealander who entered as the No. 3 contender. (espn.com) (ufc.com) CBS Sports reported that Ulberg’s leg buckled during the fight and that he said afterward he had “blew out” his knee. The same report said Procházka pressed forward after seeing the injury and walked into Ulberg’s left hook before the follow-up strikes ended the bout. (cbssports.com) The belt was vacant because Alex Pereira gave up the title in February, and the promotion booked Procházka against Ulberg for the championship at UFC 327. ESPN reported the vacancy when the fight was announced, turning Saturday’s main event into a reset at 205 pounds. (espn.com) Ulberg came into the title fight on a nine-fight winning streak after losing his UFC debut in 2021. ESPN said that run included a first-round knockout of Dominick Reyes in September 2025, the win that pushed him into this title shot. (espn.com) Procházka was fighting for a chance to become a two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion. CBS Sports said he told Joe Rogan after the loss that he showed mercy when he noticed Ulberg was hurt and called it “one of the biggest lessons” of his life. (cbssports.com) The win gave City Kickboxing another Ultimate Fighting Championship champion. CBS Sports noted that Ulberg joined former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya as titleholders from the Auckland gym. (cbssports.com) Ulberg left Miami with the belt and an extra post-fight bonus. Forbes reported that the Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded him a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus after the finish. (forbes.com)