{"id":592864,"date":"2026-04-08T06:34:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T06:34:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/592864\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T06:34:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T06:34:22","slug":"carlos-ulberg-crestfallen-by-exciting-poatan-moving-to-265","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/592864\/","title":{"rendered":"Carlos Ulberg Crestfallen By Exciting “Poatan” Moving To 265"},"content":{"rendered":"

Carlos Ulberg<\/a> (13-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) currently sits at No. 3 in the rankings at 205 lbs. This weekend, he\u2019ll be headed down to Miami for the UFC\u2019s annual excursion to South Beach, UFC 327.<\/p>\n

At UFC 327 on Saturday night, he\u2019ll be squaring off<\/a> for the Vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against No. 2 contender Jiri Prochazka (32-5-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in the main event of the evening. As with all title fights, this will be an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round.<\/p>\n

Should Carlos Ulberg win against Prochazka on Saturday night, he\u2019ll become the 19th different fighter, counting interim reigns, to hold the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship since it was inaugurated in December of 1997. If Jiri Prochaska wins against Ulberg, he\u2019ll hold the light heavyweight championship for the second time in his UFC tenure.<\/p>\n

Carlos Ulberg Speaks Out on Alex Pereira Moving to Heavyweight<\/p>\n

The light heavyweight championship will be officially vacant as of Saturday night, but in late February, Alex Pereira, who last held the title at 205, revealed his intentions to move to the heavyweight ranks. Recently, Ulberg was interviewed by MMA Fighting and the topic of \u201cPoatan\u201d moving to 265 came up.<\/p>\n

Ulberg mentioned in the past that he\u2019d have liked to fight Pereira, but understands that it may end up being a missed opportunity now.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could be gone, right?,\u201d Carlos Ulberg began. \u201cThen again, that [fight] could present itself in some other way. I\u2019m pretty sure it might still happen. The respect is always still there. He\u2019s done the right thing, move up and go for that third title.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Carlos Ulberg on Own Decision-Making if Roles Were Reversed<\/p>\n

Ulberg can\u2019t blame Pereira for his choice. What if the decision were the No. 3 contender\u2019s to make?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d do the same,\u201d Carlos Ulberg said. \u201cIf you\u2019ve done what you need to do, if you\u2019ve [proven] yourself in the light heavyweight division and in the middleweight division, then why not go up and do something that no one\u2019s ever done before. I still believe [a fight with Pereira] could possibly happen. That is a massive fight. I can see that fight happening for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carlos Ulberg on Jiri Prochazka Ahead of UFC 327 on Saturday<\/p>\n

While a fight with Alex Pereira may or may not present itself in the future, Carlos Ulberg\u2019s next assignment will be the veteran Jiri Prochazka. As previously mentioned, Prochazka has already held the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.<\/p>\n

In June of 2022, Prochazka finished Glover Teixeira inside the fifth round of their fight by way of submission (rear-naked choke.) While Ulberg will be all business once the cage door closes this upcoming weekend, he spoke of him highly on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a likable guy when you\u2019re a fan of the sport,\u201d he said, \u201cbecause of his personality and the things he says. It\u2019s just quite out of the ordinary. It works for him and it works well for him, so, yeah, I\u2019ve always been a fan. I\u2019ve always been someone to keep an eye on a possible opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carlos Ulberg Knew Prochazka Fight Was a Possibility<\/p>\n

Continuing his comments on his upcoming opponent, he mentioned that there\u2019d be a chance that Jiri Prochazka would be an adversary for a future fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was always word that it was a possible fight with me and Jiri and he could be the next guy for me to fight,\u201d Ulberg said. \u201cThere was always going to be word of Pereira moving up to the heavyweight division, and I think it was quite obvious that\u2019d be the next move.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether Pereira was going to win or not get that win, I knew I was going to be given this offer or given the title contention,\u201d he continued. \u201cSo, I was confident that I was going to be fighting Jiri or Pereira at that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/p>\n

While the fight between Carlos Ulberg and Alex Pereira may end up a pipe dream in the wake of the latter\u2019s move to heavyweight, the contest awaiting Ulberg this Saturday is a cracking affair at 205. Anytime you have a fight for a vacant championship on a card as the headliner, it\u2019s a must-see showdown.<\/p>\n

On Saturday night, the drama will be real. Absent of the fight being ruled a no-contest for any reason or an eleventh-hour postponement, somebody\u2019s walking out of Kaseya Center as the new light heavyweight champion.<\/p>\n

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