Given his first opportunity at a UFC championship, Carlos Ulberg knew he only needed one shot.
Turns out, he only needed one good leg, too.
The Kiwi light heavyweight had his coronation as king of the division in Miami on Sunday, knocking former champion Jiri Prochazka out in the first round to claim the vacant belt at UFC 327.
As he has done so often in his professional mixed martial arts career, Ulberg got the job done with a powerful left hook, which sent Prochazka to the canvas.
But the moments leading up to it looked anything but good for the Kiwi fighter, as he suffered a knee injury early in the contest.
Speaking to the Herald from Miami, Ulberg said he had a quick medical check on the injury after the bout but would have to get it properly assessed in the coming days.
“After the first fall, I thought, okay, maybe it’ll pop back in. But then after the second, third, fourth, it was like, ‘ah, damn, how am I going to have to deal with this?’” he said.
“I just had to push through. I knew that nothing was going to stop me from getting that win.”
Five years ago, Ulberg was signed to the UFC as a relative newcomer to mixed martial arts with just four professional bouts to his name. He said at the time it would be a case of him learning on the job as he worked his way through the division.
Now, 11 assignments later, he is at the top of the class on a 10-fight winning streak – the second-longest in the history of the UFC light heavyweight division – holds wins over four former title holders or challengers and leaves Miami with a shiny new piece of carry-on luggage.
Ulberg had made a good start to the bout, working the Czech’s lead leg with strong kicks.
About two minutes into the bout, however, Prochazka’s lead knee collided with that of Ulberg, which sent the Kiwi sprawling backwards.
Prochazka proceeded to attack the knee with kicks, which were clearly impacting Ulberg every time.
That saw the Kiwi have to move away from his usual game plan of staying tidy on the outside and picking his shots, as his movement was drastically compromised.
The 35-year-old never stopped fighting, though. Every time Prochazka would try to engage, Ulberg had something for him.
“At some point, I thought that if he was going to come forward and throw some hands, I’d have to throw some hands too, otherwise I’d just be a sitting duck,” Ulberg said.
But after biting on a feint with about 90s remaining in round one, Ulberg hobbled backwards to the cage and showed a tight guard.
While Prochazka indicated after the bout that he was hesitant to fully take advantage of Ulberg’s injury, the Kiwi did not miss his chance when it was presented.
The moment Prochazka stepped in to attack with Ulberg against the cage, the Kiwi sent a powerful left hook that landed flush on Prochazka’s chin.
That sent the former champion to the canvas, and Ulberg left no doubt with heavy follow-up strikes to secure his first UFC championship.
“It means everything,” Ulberg said of winning the title.
“I probably need some time really just to sit back on my own and let it all sink in and enjoy the moment. But right now, we’re just going to enjoy it with the team and go to the afterparty and celebrate the win.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.