MIAMI – In a dramatic turn of events at UFC 327, New Zealand’s 35-year-old Carlos Ulberg defied a painful right knee injury to claim the promotion’s coveted light heavyweight crown with a knockout victory over former titleholder Jiri Prochazka in the event’s main event. Just hours after his career-defining win, however, Ulberg made an unexpected, embarrassing admission: he had lost his brand-new championship belt entirely.
In an interview with Fox Sports Australia published Monday, the newly crowned champion opened up about the chaotic post-fight celebrations that led to his belt going missing. “I’ve lost the belt, bro,” Ulberg told the outlet. He explained that he originally planned to stay sober after the high-stakes match, but the excitement of the moment got the better of him. “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.”
To add another layer of complexity to Ulberg’s historic win, the knee injury he sustained during the fight is expected to keep him out of competition for up to a full year. Per UFC regulations, that extended layoff will force the promotion to strip him of his active champion status and organize an interim title fight to fill the vacancy in the division.
Despite the dual setbacks of his injury and the missing belt, Ulberg remains upbeat about the situation. He expressed confidence that the golden championship belt will be located before he travels to Las Vegas for a full medical evaluation of his knee. After the assessment, Ulberg plans to complete a period of rehabilitation and training at the UFC Performance Institute before returning home to New Zealand to reunite with his family.
Reflecting on where the belt could be, Ulberg joked that he set the belt down to avoid carrying it around during celebrations, meaning it is likely still in the rented accommodation the team used for fight week. “I didn’t want to be carrying the belt around so I think it’s still there at the apartment somewhere. One of the boys probably has it in bed with him,” he said.