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Imago
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Carlos Ulberg hasn’t bought Jiri Prochazka’s explanation for their recent clash. The Kaseya Center in Miami bore witness to Prochazka’s defeat against Ulberg at UFC 327. While the expectation was to see a competitive bout, the fight had a short ending. While Prochazka attributed his defeat to his sympathy towards the Kiwi fighter, Ulberg saw things quite differently.
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“I felt like mercy, you know?” said Prochazka during the UFC 327 octagon interview. “In that fight, I felt so sorry with him. This is one of the biggest lessons in my life.”
For those unaware, moments into the bout, Carlos Ulberg injured his right leg. Despite that complication, Prochazka seemingly failed to take advantage of it. While it seemed like a questionable strategy, it was the Czech fighter’s “mercy” that prevented him from marching forward towards a victory. However, Ulberg, who finished Prochazka with a clean counter left hook, has disagreed with the statement, labelling it as the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s mistake.
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I feel like he made a mistake there because I would not have done the same,” Ulberg said in the UFC 327 post-fight press conference. “If you’re in there to get that title, you’d do whatever it takes to get that win.”
“I feel like [Jiří] made the mistake there. I would not have done the same.”
Carlos Ulberg responds to Jiří saying he was showing mercy during the fight.
Ulberg also shares he had no prior injuries with the leg leading into the fight. pic.twitter.com/dbZykJzleF
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 12, 2026
The stakes were high for the bout. Ulberg was on his first UFC gold opportunity, while Prochazka would have clinched it for the second time. Considering that, the expectations from both fighters to give their best were high. Take the example of Michael Bisping. In 2013, due to an injury, he suffered a detached retina.
Despite having only one functioning eye, Bisping’s zeal to win the UFC title never wavered, and he became the UFC middleweight champion in 2016 by defeating Luke Rockhold. Quite an inspirational journey, but it shows how, for a coveted achievement like a UFC title, fighters go through adversities.
And Ulberg did the same at UFC 327. But of course, Prochazka’s approach contradicts how the Kiwi fighter typically sees a championship fight. However, in the end, it eventually benefited Ulberg as he became the new UFC light heavyweight king. And surely this now leaves the question of who he will face in his first title defense. As it seems, before anyone else, Prochazka wants to settle their score.
Jiri Prochazka calls for a rematch after highlighting his “stupid mercy”
Jiri Prochazka entered UFC 327’s octagon with a two-fight winning streak. More than a chance to extend his streak, Prochazka could have become a two-time light heavyweight champion. After winning the belt for the first time against Glover Teixeira at UFC 275, he was forced to vacate due to an injury.
Following that, Prochazka got the opportunity to reclaim the title twice against Alex Pereira. However, on both occasions, Pereira derailed his plans by beating him via TKO. UFC 327 presented him with yet another opportunity to win the gold by beating Carlos Ulberg. However, since he felt his merciful nature had become the reason behind his defeat, Prochazka called for a rematch.
“Thank you for all of your support. We are just checking the jaw in the hospital,” said Prochazka on his Instagram Story. “Big apologies for my performance. Can’t understand my stupid mercy in the fight that cost me this fight. I would like to fight a rematch, because that was my fight. I just gave him this opportunity to catch me. Big apologies to everyone who supported me.”
Well, that’s an interesting proposal. But then again, UFC has the ultimate power to approve Prochazka’s wish. For now, Ulberg appeared quite injured. Given Ulberg’s injury, it will be interesting to see if the UFC creates an interim title fight if it comes into question, like Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane, while heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall remains injured.
On that note, who do you see Prochazka fighting next? Let us know in the comments below!
Written by
Edited by
Aatreyi Sarkar