5 Fights We Need to See After UFC 327
Carlos Ulberg is the new UFC light heavyweight champion, but his immediate future in the division is unfortunately very uncertain.
Ulberg made his first bid for gold in the main event of Saturday's UFC 327 card in Miami, taking on former champ Jiri Prochazka.
It was a dramatic affair, as Ulberg suffered a serious knee injury early in the contest, only to knock his opponent out cold when it seemed like all hope of victory was lost.
The New Zealander will be happy with the result, but not with the injury that came along with it, which could keep him out of action for the remainder of the year.
Ulberg's injury is also bad news for any light heavyweight contenders hoping for a crack at the undisputed title. That includes former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa, who made a huge statement in his return to 205 pounds with a violent stoppage of formerly unbeaten contender Azamat Murzakanov.
Without further ado, here's what we'd like to see next for Ulberg and Costa, as well as a handful of the other big winners from UFC 327.
Carlos Ulberg vs. Paulo Costa
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Given Ulberg's injury, there has already been some talk about having him vacate the belt or creating an interim title while he heals up. Can we just skip all of that nonsense?
Light heavyweight was once the UFC's most glamorous division, but over the last five years or so, it's been hampered by a number of unfortunate injuries to its champions.
First, it was Prochazka, who vacated the belt with an injury soon after he won it from Glover Teixeira. Not long after that, Jamahal Hill experienced almost the exact same thing, also vacating the belt with an injury after defeating Teixeira to become champion. Then there was that dreadful draw between Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Blachowicz, which also failed to establish a new champion.
This division has been struggling to find some semblance of stability for ages, and stripping Ulberg of the title or crowning an interim champion will only complicate things further. So let's just not.
Yes, Ulberg will be out for a while, but not forever. So let's just give him the time he needs, and book him to defend the belt against the most deserving contender when he's healthy.
After his UFC 327 co-main event destruction of Azamat Murzakanov, that would probably be Paulo Costa.
Costa probably doesn't want to wait eight months or a year for his next fight, but let's not forget, this is a guy who fights incredibly infrequently as is. Long layoffs are par for the course for him, so it would be kind of ridiculous for him to start complaining about them now.
If we're lucky, this fight will be made late this year. If we're unlucky, which seems likely in this case, it'll go down early next year. Whenever it happens, it's bound to be a great fight, so let's just be patient instead of crowning a new champ or introducing an pointless interim title.
Jiri Prochazka vs. Johnny Walker
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Jiri Prochazka's title fight with Carlos Ulberg ended about as badly as it could have for him, but it's not like he was comprehensively outfought.
In fact, he seemed to be a few punches away from a first-round knockout win of his own by the time Ulberg got injured, and actually seemed to pull back a bit when he realized his opponent was compromised—what he would later call an act of "mercy."
All that to say, there's no reason to assume Prochazka can't bounce back, and potentially even avenge the loss in the future. It will depend greatly on how he performs in his next fight.
When it comes to his next opponent, Prochazka has options. A fight with Murzakanov, who was blown away by Paulo Costa at UFC 327, is one possibility. He could also face former champion Magomed Ankalaev, who has not fought since he was knocked out by Alex Pereira last fall.
Our, pick, however, would be Johnny Walker.
Walker was also in action at UFC 327, losing a decision in a terrible fight with Dominick Reyes. After that loss, he is way below Prochazka on the light heavyweight ladder, but this is simply too compelling a matchup to ignore.
At their best, Prochazka and Walker are two of the most powerful and unorthodox fighters in the UFC, with plenty of highlight-reel wins—and some devastating losses—behind them.
That's reason enough to match them up together, but it also gives both men a chance to prove they really belong at the top of the division after tough setbacks in Miami.
Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis
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Outside of Ulberg, the biggest winner of the entire UFC 327 lineup was probably rising heavyweight contender Josh Hokit, who defeated former title challenger Curtis Blaydes by decision in one of the best fights in recent memory.
In the immediate aftermath of Hokit's thrilling victory over Blaydes, the best choice for his next fight seemed to be the winner of Sergei Pavlovich and Tallison Teixeira's fight, which goes down on May 30 in Macau.
However, less than 30 minutes after Hokit left the cage, it was announced that he would be fighting Derrick Lewis in a late addition to the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 card on the White House lawn.
After taking so much damage in his war with Blaydes, it's a bit difficult to imagine Hokit being healthy enough to compete on the White House card, which goes down on June 14. If he is healthy, though, the Lewis fight is a great choice for him.
While Lewis is ranked considerably lower than Blaydes, he has been floating around the top of the heavyweight division for years, and has the knockout power to stop any fighter in their tracks—even somebody with as much momentum as Hokit.
If Hokit wins this one, which is a big if, it will launch him right into title contention, though it's unclear if he'd be chasing Tom Aspinall's undisputed belt, or the interim title Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane will fight for in the UFC 327 co-main event.
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Dominick Reyes vs. Jamahal Hill
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As we've covered, the UFC 327 main card fight between long-term light heavyweight contenders Dominick Reyes and Johnny Walker was objectively terrible, as the two knockout artists uncharacteristically threw almost no strikes over three rounds.
Still, it will enter the ledger as a victory for Reyes and should give him a slight push up the rankings.
Our pick for his next opponent would be Jamahal Hill.
As noted, Hill enjoyed a brief reign as light heavyweight champion, but was forced to vacate the belt with an injury before he ever got to defend it. Unfortunately, things still haven't really gotten back on track for him.
Since losing the belt, the former champ has lost three times, taking significant damage against Alex Pereira, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr.
Assuming he has taken all the time he needs to recover from those tough losses, he seems like the perfect opponent for Reyes right now. They're both floating right in the middle of the rankings, both struggling to prove they still have what it takes to hang with the very best, and somewhat surprisingly, they've yet to meet in the Octagon.
Book it for an upcoming Fight Night co-main event, and expect plenty of urgency from both men, as the loser is likely to leave title contention permanently.
Aaron Pico vs. Kevin Vallejos
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Aaron Pico was once considered one of the hottest prospects in MMA, but after a handful of tough losses in the Bellator cage and a disastrous knockout loss to Lerone Murphy in his UFC debut last year, he was beginning to look more like a flash in the pan.
He greatly changed that perception at UFC 327.
Pico was back in action in the final bout of the undercard, taking on fellow Bellator transplant Patricio Freire. It was a dangerous fight, but it turned out to be the single most impressive performance of his career to date.
For three rounds, he looked every bit the prospect we were always told he was, hammering his opponent with devastating punching combinations and mixing in the occasional takedown attempt. By the time it was over, there was little doubt he'd win a unanimous decision, and that's just what happened.
Given that Freire was ranked inside the featherweight top 15 heading into the contest, we can expect Pico to debut in the rankings in victory.
Unfortunately, most of the featherweight top 15 is occupied with other assignments right now, but there is one extremely alluring opponent who is not: Kevin Vallejos.
Vallejos was last in action in March, when he improved to 18-1 with a first-round KO of Josh Emmett. That win sent him crashing into the rankings and established him as one of the hottest contenders in the division.
A fight with the Pico who showed up at UFC 327 would be dynamite.
While Pico's chin would be a going concern against a fellow power-puncher, his latest win proved he has the skill to beat just about anyone when he keeps his head in the game.
Book it.
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