Calmness vs Chaos

Jiří Procházka (left) vs Carlos Ulberg (right) via mmajunkie.com

Jiří Procházka vs Carlos Ulberg

This Saturday, in Miami, Florida, UFC 327 will surely answer several pressing questions. In arguably the most stacked card of the year, former Light-Heavyweight champion Jiří Procházka looks to regain the throne against surging contender Carlos Ulberg. Without further ado, let’s dive into this main event.

Outside of one man, Procházka has been undefeated for eleven years.

Former champion Alex Pereira has been the only fighter to solve the Jiří Procházka puzzle, and now that Pereira has vacated the Light-Heavyweight belt, moving up to Heavyweight, the opportunity is as large as ever for Procházka, who’s been desperately trying to get his belt back.

Following his second loss to Pereira, Procházka vowed to evolve. He promised fans he would return in better form, and he delivered on that promise.

Procházka is coming off back-to-back knockout victories against former champion Jamahal Hill and top contender Khalil Rountree Jr.

His last fight against Rountree Jr. was a classic performance by Procházka. Heading into the third round, down on all scorecards, Procházka knew he needed a finish. He threw caution to the wind, abandoning defensive tactics, rushing forward, and blitzing Rountree Jr.

Following his highlight-reel knockout, coupled with Pereira’s exit, Procházka was all but guaranteed a title shot. However, shortly after, a new contender emerged.

Carlos Ulberg, fighting out of the legendary City Kickboxing Gym in Auckland, New Zealand, has flown under the radar for the last couple of years.

Riding a nine-fight win streak, Ulberg has victories over former champion Jan Blachowicz, Volkan Oezdemir, and, most recently, Dominick Reyes. Before his last contest, Ulberg had squeezed through fights by razor-close decisions, and fans criticised his lack of excitement, failing to draw crowds in.

This narrative was put to bed instantly in his last fight.

Heading into the fight with Reyes, Ulberg knew he needed to make a statement. With Procházka having the highlight finish over Rountree Jr., another decision victory would not have earned a title shot. Ulberg knew this and, with that, produced a first-round demolition, knocking Reyes out stiff. The fight never looked competitive, and Ulberg showed that he was a step above all contenders.

The debate following Ulberg’s performance was now white hot.

Did Procházka deserve a third shot at Pereira, or did Ulberg, the less popular fighter, earn his shot at the king?

Pereira answered those questions by vacating the division, and the only logical move was to match up the two top contenders in the division.

So here we are, the division will continue to move forward without its champion, and a new title holder will be crowned.

We know what Procházka brings to the table, and that’s chaos.

Procházka has yet to go to the judges' scorecards in any of his fights within the UFC, and that excitement is what has made him a fan favourite.

Procházka will be on the front foot, pressuring Ulberg with unorthodox techniques, constantly switching stances, and throwing strikes from weird angles. If Procházka can implement his style with minimal resistance, expect him to walk through the fire, weather the storm from Ulberg, and find the knockout finish.

However, Ulberg’s style may be tailor-made to defeat the former champion.

Ulberg is a clinical counter-striker, one of the best in the sport. He can find his opponents' chins with pinpoint accuracy, on the front foot and back foot. Ulberg is equally effective moving backwards, and he undoubtedly holds the technique advantage in this fight.

With the amount of pressure and weight Procházka puts on his front foot, Ulberg will need to utilise leg kicks to immobilise Procházka. Procházka’s striking defence has always been suspect, and his lack of awareness of what is coming at him may put him in harm's way for an Ulberg counter strike.

This is a classic pressure versus precision matchup, and it’s about as 50/50 a fight as they come. Will Procházka remind fans why he’s nearly unbeatable, or will Ulberg cement his name as one of the top rising stars in the UFC? 

Regardless of outcome, one thing that we’re all guaranteed to see is a firefight. Someone will get knocked out.

Rest Of The Card

The rest of the UFC 327 main card is absolutely stacked.

In the co-main event, top five Light-Heavyweight Azamat Murzakanov takes on fan favourite Paulo Costa, who has left the Middleweight division in search of success in another weight class.

The featured bout features a pivotal matchup for the Heavyweight division, as Curtis Blaydes takes on surging prospect Josh Hokit. If Hokit emerges victorious, the Heavyweight division may finally have a potential star.

Dominick Reyes takes on Johnny Walker, and the loser of this fight is sure to fall into the depths of irrelevance in the Light-Heavyweight division.

The co-main event was supposed to be a Flyweight title fight between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira; however, with Van's recent injury, the fight has been pushed to UFC 328.

As we've seen countless times before, Miami has been host to some of the most iconic moments in the sport.

On Saturday, April 11, in all likelihood, another highlight will be immortalised in UFC history.