Prochazka started his fourth career title fight well. Ulberg was struggling with his left leg and couldn’t put weight on it, but then the Czech took a heavy shot, went down, and the referee stopped the bout after more strikes from the Kiwi.
"This is one of the biggest lessons of my life. I had it in my hands. But I let him. I saw his injury and then... Damn," Prochazka said immediately after the defeat.
He later admitted he lost focus and felt sorry for his opponent. "That’s exactly what happened," said the disappointed Czech, who suffered his sixth career MMA loss.
"But I’ll be back. Life is about learning, I’ll come back stronger, I’m sorry for today and thank you all for your support," Prochazka added.
Thirty-five-year-old Ulberg celebrated his 10th consecutive UFC win, despite a knee injury.
"I knew I only needed one shot and I got it. I saw Jiri hesitate about whether to come closer. It’s all about finding the right moment, and I found the one for a deadly punch," said a delighted Ulberg, who will likely need knee surgery now.
"He said he could hurt me. But you can’t hurt what you can’t kill. We are champions," rejoiced the new light heavyweight king.
Prochazka won the UFC championship belt in 2022 when he defeated Glover Teixeira from Brazil. He then lost two title fights to Teixeira’s compatriot Alex Pereira.
In Miami at UFC 327, which was attended by US President Donald Trump, Prochazka and Ulberg fought for the belt vacated by Pereira.