UFC 327 has its main event. Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg will battle for the vacant light heavyweight championship inside Kaseya Center in Miami on April 11. UFC president and CEO Dana White made the fight official with an announcement on Friday night.
The title was vacated by Alex Pereira, who was on his second run as light heavyweight champion after having previously held the middleweight title, in anticipation of a move to the heavyweight division.
Prochazka is aiming for his own second stint as champion at 205 pounds, having previously won the title with a win over Glover Teixeira at UFC 275. Prochazka lost the belt in his first defense, suffering a TKO defeat to Pereira. Prochazka then lost a rematch for the title against Pereira two fights later.
Prochazka has been perfect in his UFC career outside of the two defeats to Pereira, compiling a 6-2 record in the Octagon with all victories coming via stoppage. He has won back-to-back fights, stopping Jamahal Hill via TKO and then scoring a dramatic comeback knockout of Khalil Rountree Jr. this past October.
Ulberg stumbled in his UFC debut, suffering a knockout loss to Kennedy Nzechukwu. Since that loss, Ulberg has rattled off nine consecutive victories, most recently knocking out Dominick Reyes in a UFC Fight Night main event.
Prochazka and Ulberg sit at No. 2 and 3, respectively, in the official UFC light heavyweight rankings, sitting only behind No. 1 Magomed Ankalaev.
Prochazka vs. Ulberg tops a card that also includes a flyweight title defense between champion Joshua Van and challenger Tatsuro Taira.
White also announced on Friday that former Bellator two-division champion Patricio Pitbull would return in Miami to take on a familiar name in Aaron Pico as both men spent years with the promotion. The two will meet at featherweight on the prelims.
Here’s how the rest of the card shakes out.
UFC 327 fight card
- Jiri Prochazka vs. Carlos Ulberg, vacant light heavyweight championship
- Joshua Van (c) vs. Tatsuro Taira, flyweight championship
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Josh Hokit, heavyweights
- Beneil Dariush vs. Manuel Torres, lightweights
- Dominick Reyes vs. Johnny Walker, light heavyweights
- Azamat Murzakanov vs. Paulo Costa, light heavyweights
- Patricio Pitbull vs. Aaron Pico, featherweights
- Matuesz Gamrot vs. Esteban Ribovics, lightweights
- Cub Swanson vs. Nate Landwehr, featherweights
- Kevin Holland vs. Randy Brown, welterweights
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Vicente Luque, welterweights
- Tatiana Suarez vs. Loopy Godinez, women’s strawweights
- Kyle Daukaus vs. Vicente Luque, middleweights
- Christopher Alvidrez vs. Francisco Prado welterweights
