Carlos Ulberg, the new UFC light heavyweight champion, has expressed his strong belief that Jiri Prochazka is an inauthentic fighter, referring to him as a “pretender.” The two faced off recently at UFC 327 for the vacant light heavyweight title.
During the intense bout, Ulberg sustained a significant knee injury from Prochazka’s powerful leg kicks, leading to speculation of an ACL tear. He struggled with mobility and standing throughout the fight, admitting that his corner considered stopping the match after the first round.
However, Prochazka did not press for the finish. Ulberg, taking control, landed a decisive check hook that dropped Prochazka. Ulberg then secured the victory with ground and pound, becoming the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
Prochazka had suggested that he showed mercy to Ulberg by not finishing him. Ulberg strongly refutes this, stating that Prochazka’s actions were driven by fear and hesitation, not mercy. He believes Prochazka’s claims are a tactic to set up a potential rematch, which Ulberg insists will not happen.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Ulberg asserted, “That’s bullsh*t, total bullsh*t. That’s the fear that he had. That wasn’t any kind of mercy… There was no mercy in there. He was full of fear, hesitation, and that’s what got him clipped. I think he’s a pretender. He knows that I know that he’s a pretender. When that word ‘merciful’ was fed into his mouth that night after. He went with it and played with it, and that was his excuse so that he could hopefully get a rematch. There is no way he gets that rematch.”
Carlos Ulberg Injury Update
Ulberg also provided an update on his leg injury. He is still awaiting definitive confirmation on whether he has torn his ACL and plans to undergo scans upon his return to Las Vegas. The 35-year-old described his knee as feeling unstable and experiencing excruciating pain, making even walking difficult.
He shared with Ariel Helwani, “We don’t know for sure [if it’s a torn ACL]. I’ll get the scans done when I arrive in Vegas. The knee felt like it was going in and out of the socket…The pain was unbearable.”
