Carlos Ulberg’s surprising knockout or Jiri Prochazka is a setback for UFC

UFC 327: A Twist in the Light Heavyweight Championship

MIAMI — Well, that was a case of counting your chickens too soon.

During UFC 327 on Saturday night, Jiri Prochaska appeared to have clinched the light heavyweight championship — or so it seemed.

Carlos Ulberg looked like he had sustained a severe leg injury and was close to losing by TKO. But then things took an unexpected turn.

Prochaska began celebrating and showboating, but made a series of critical errors and ended up knocked out cold.

“The fight is over,” Dana White remarked in the post-fight press conference. “But I don’t think it’s really over until it’s over.”

Ulberg later mentioned that he had bruised his knee and might need surgery, while White noted that Ulberg’s foot was hurting, suggesting a possible torn anterior cruciate ligament.

This situation presents a challenging scenario for the UFC, especially since Prochaska had been the crowd favorite and had built a strong connection with the audience.

Interestingly, the new champion has only 158,000 followers on Instagram, which is somewhat surprising and, I guess, kind of important these days. Meanwhile, his injured knee could keep him out for the rest of the year.

So, the light heavyweight division is once again in limbo. There’s a good chance they’ll need to name an interim champion soon.

Maybe Khamzat Chimaev, the middleweight champion, will make a move to light heavyweight, or perhaps Paulo Costa will be considered as a challenger in this new weight category.

Costa looked impressive in his co-main event, knocking out Azamat Mrazkanov with a stunning head kick.

Although he isn’t ranked yet in light heavyweight, defeating the No. 6 ranked fighter should certainly give him some momentum and make people wonder if he might contend for the title.