NEW YORK — Hours after Carlos Ulberg won the light heavyweight title at UFC 327, he lost the belt — literally.
Ulberg, a 35-year-old from New Zealand, fought through an apparent injury to his right knee to defeat Jiřà Procházka by knockout this weekend in Miami to become the new champion of the light heavyweight division.
He told Fox Sports Australia on Monday that he misplaced his golden title belt while celebrating his victory.
“I’ve lost the belt, bro,” Ulberg told Fox Sports. “Initially after winning, the plan was to not have a drink. But you know how these things go, right? First, someone gives you a champagne to celebrate. Then one thing leads to another and you’re doing shots.”
Ulberg told Fox Sports he has yet to have his injury checked, saying, “I haven’t actually been to the hospital yet.”
But Ulberg said he is fairly confident his belt will be found before he heads to Las Vegas to get further evaluation from doctors there on his knee. He then plans to spend time at the UFC Performance Institute before returning to New Zealand to be with family.
“I didn’t want to be carrying the belt around, so I think it’s still there at the apartment somewhere,” Ulberg said. “One of the boys probably has it in bed with him.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.