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Brett Okamoto
Multiple Authors
The UFC’s undisputed light heavyweight championship will be on the line in April, when Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg will meet for the vacant title at UFC 327.
UFC CEO Dana White announced the 205-pound title fight Friday. The announcement means that former champion Alex Pereira, who has shown interest in moving up to heavyweight, has vacated the belt.
White did not comment on Pereira’s title reign ending. Pereira’s team did not immediately respond to ESPN’s requests for comment.
The new light heavyweight title matchup will headline UFC 327 on April 11 at Kaseya Center in Miami.
Prochazka (32-5-1) is a former light heavyweight champion but was forced to vacate the title in 2022 because of injury. He challenged Pereira for the belt twice, in 2023 and 2024, losing both times via second-round knockout. Since his second loss to Pereira, Prochazka has recorded back-to-back finishes against Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr.
Ulberg (13-1), who lives and trains out of New Zealand, has been steadily working up the light heavyweight ranks since he signed with the UFC in 2020. After losing his UFC debut in 2021, he has won nine in a row. He is coming off a first-round knockout of Dominick Reyes in September.