UFC 327 takeaways: Ulberg blew out his knee, but Procházka blew his

Carlos Ulberg grabbed the light heavyweight championship out of the jaws of defeat at UFC 327 in Miami on Saturday. After injuring his knee in the opening minute of his title fight against Jiří Procházka, it looked as if Ulberg’s night might end quickly. It did, but only because he caught Procházka with a left hand across the chin and finished him on the ground for a first-round knockout.

It was the surprise culmination of a card full of wow moments. The heavyweights on the main card, Josh Hokit and Curtis Blaydes, put on a slugfest for the ages, and a former Bellator MMA star who had a horrible UFC debut proved first impressions aren’t everything.

Procházka is in for some sleepless nights after this one

History will hopefully remember this as Ulberg’s night. He deserves that. He kept his composure in an unbelievable moment. Just imagine how frustrating and stressful it must be to blow out a knee in the opening round of your first UFC title fight. Obviously, he wasn’t going to just roll over, but to not skip a beat, show no emotion, continue to confidently look for ways to win and succeed? Incredible.

That said, one man will remember it very differently — and that, of course, is Procházka. Part of what makes Procházka who he is, what got him here, is his unorthodox, daring personality. But in this instance, it’s probably safe to say he truly made one of the biggest mistakes in the entire history of the UFC. The obviousness of Ulberg’s injury had a greater impact on Procházka than it did Ulberg. He began to yell, point at the ground, throw himself into potential fires that weren’t even lit. There is no question his emotional response and recklessness opened the door for the knockout.

This was his chance. He could get another one. He’s a popular, talented fighter in a wide-open division, but this was a bit of karma coming back in his favor. It wasn’t fair that he suffered a terrible shoulder injury in 2022 and had to vacate his belt…