Share and Follow
MIAMI — Sometimes, victory can slip away when you least expect it.
At UFC 327 on Saturday night, Jiri Prochazka seemed poised to claim the light heavyweight championship with confidence. The fight took a dramatic turn when Carlos Ulberg appeared to have sustained a severe leg injury, putting him on the verge of a technical knockout loss.
With the title seemingly within his grasp, Prochazka began to celebrate prematurely, displaying his exuberance and underestimating his opponent. In a shocking twist, Ulberg managed to land a decisive blow, knocking Prochazka out cold, and turning the tide of the match entirely.
Reflecting on the unexpected outcome, UFC President Dana White remarked to reporters at the post-fight press conference, “The fight was over. But I guess it’s not over until it’s over.”
Prochazka began celebrating and styling on his opponent, but he got clipped and knocked out cold in a mistake-filled light heavyweight title loss.
“The fight was over,” White told reporters at the post-fight press conference. “But I guess it’s not over until it’s over.”
Ulberg said afterward he blew out his knee and will likely require surgery, as White said that the back of his leg was hurting, perhaps pointing to a torn ACL.
Overall, it’s the worst-case scenario for the UFC, as Prochazka was the crowd favorite in this fight and had the crowd at his fingertips.
The result is the UFC’s light heavyweight champion has just 158,000 followers on Instagram (yes, that matters) and a blown-out knee that will sideline him for the rest of the year.
With light heavyweight now in flux again, there’s a reasonable expectation that the promotion will need to find a new champion to compete for the belt in an interim fashion.
Perhaps middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev jumps up to light heavyweight to fight for the interim belt, or maybe Paulo Costa gets a look as a contender in his new division.
Costa looked about as good as ever in the co-main event, as he knocked Azamat Murazkanov out with a head kick.
Costa, who is not yet ranked in the light heavyweight division, but he just beat the No. 6-ranked fighter in the division, certainly drew at least some conversations about whether he can contend for the title.
“Put some respect on my name,” Costa boasted as he danced for President Donald Trump in the center of the octagon.
All we have in light heavyweight is problems now that Ulberg is the champion, and he looks to be injured, but get ready for some funky answers from here.
The show must go on, as they say in show business.
If only Prochazka hadn’t counted his chickens before they hatched.