Carlos Ulberg pulled off one of the most improbable title fight victories in the history of the sport after he blew out his knee and then somehow scored a vicious knockout over Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 327 main event.
It was a remarkable performance after Ulberg took a misstep in the opening round and clearly hurt his knee rather badly. He continued to favor his injured knee with Prochazka still coming after him looking for the finish.
With Prochazka moving forward, Ulberg stepped back and threw a counter check left hook that connected right on the button. Prochazka crumbled to the canvas and Ulberg followed him to the ground where he unloaded a few more shots to get the knockout and become the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
“It was knee. I blew out my knee,” Ulberg said after his win. “I never ever counted myself out. I knew that all I needed was that one shot and I ended up getting it. I knew that Jiri was hesitant to come forward and as soon as I landed my left hand, he’s going. I’ve got to sort this knee out. But we’re champion.”
It’s almost impossible to fathom how Ulberg pulled off the win considering the injury he suffered early in the opening round. Still, he never gave up on himself and made Prochazka pay when he found the perfect opening before delivering the knockout blow.
“That’s what it’s about,” Ulberg shouted. “It’s about getting those moments. We found that one kill shot. He said he could hunt me but you can’t hunt what you can’t kill.
“King Carlos, baby! I told you everything was going to change. Now I’m the king of the division.”
Prior to the injury and the knockout, Ulberg actually recognized Prochacka’s problems with calf kicks in the past, so he immediately started with that attack as the action got underway. Prochazka came back with leg kicks of his own and Ulberg was left limping
Replays showed that Ulberg’s right knee popped and buckled as he stepped down on the canvas and Prochazka continued to attack that lead leg while inviting his opponent to meet him in the middle and throw down. Prochazka was still chipping away at him and every time Ulberg took a step, he was barely able to put any weight down on his leg.
It seemed like only a matter of time before Prochazka went put him away but as he rushed forward Ulberg countered with a precision check left hook that dropped the former light heavyweight champion down to the ground.
Ulberg followed him there as he continued blasting away with punches until Prochazka fell unconscious and the referee stopped the fight. The end came at 3:45 in the first round.
While he won’t get a full diagnosis until later, Ulberg seemed certain that he blew out his knee, which likely means a torn ACL and he could be out of action for the better part of the next year. As disappointing as that might be, Ulberg just pulled off one of the most miraculous victories to become champion as he claims the vacant 205-pound title.
As for Prochazka, he came up short and admitted after the fight that he took his foot off the gas after realizing that his opponent was hurt.
“F*ck, it happened. I felt like mercy, in that fight I felt so sorry for him,” Prochazka said. “This is one of the biggest lessons in my life. That fight was won. I had it. It was in my hand and I just let him because I saw his injury and f*ck. I will be back. Life is about that, learn and be better. Sorry for tonight.”
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