Jiri Prochazka fights Carlos Ulberg for light heavyweight title in UFC 327 main event as Alex Pereira vacates
Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg are locked in for a title fight in the UFC 327 main event.
On Friday, the UFC announced that Prochazka fights Ulberg with the undisputed light heavyweight championship on the line, with incumbent champion Alex Pereira presumably vacating his title to move up to the heavyweight division, though Pereira is not specifically mentioned in the announcement.
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UFC 327 takes place at Kaseya Center in Miami on April 11. A previously confirmed flyweight bout between champion Joshua Van and Tatsura Taira serves as the co-main event.
Prochazka currently stands at No. 3 at light heavyweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, with Ulberg right behind him at No. 4.
Pereira’s exit clears the path for Prochazka (32-5-1), who has fallen short in two title bouts against “Poatan.” Prochazka won the light heavyweight title in 2022 after capping off an all-time thriller with a submission over Pereira’s mentor Glover Teixeira, then lost the belt to Pereira in his first title defense. Pereira defeated Prochazka again in a rematch at UFC 303, but the Czech star has rebounded with back-to-back third-round knockouts over Khalil Rountree and Jamahal Hill.
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Ulberg (13-1) has gradually made his way up the light heavyweight ranks, debuting with a loss in 2021 and then going on an absolute tear through the division. The New Zealand native has won nine straight fights, capped off by a first-round knockout over Dominick Reyes this past September. Reyes also holds a win over former UFC champion Jan Blachowicz.
The rest of the UFC 327 card was also revealed, including newly announced bouts featuring Beneil Dariush vs. Manuel Torres, Patricio Pitbull vs. Aaron Pico, and Mateusz Gamrot vs. Esteban Ribovics. Plus, Kelvin Gastelum steps in for Kyle Daukaus to face Vicente Luque.
See the updated UFC 327 lineup below.
Main Card
Jiri Prochazka vs. Carlos Ulberg
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Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira
Curtis Blaydes vs. Josh Hokit
Beneil Dariush vs. Manuel Torres
Dominick Reyes vs. Johnny Walker
Preliminary Card
Azamat Murzakanov vs. Paulo Costa
Patricio Pitbull vs. Aaron Pico
Mateusz Gamrot vs. Estaban Ribovics
Cub Swanson vs. Nate Landwehr
Kevin Holland vs. Randy Brown
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Vicente Luque
Tatiana Suarez vs. Loopy Godinez
Christopher Alvidrez vs. Francisco Prado
