The Bigger Picture | UFC 327

Carlos Ulberg became the new UFC light heavyweight champion with a dramatic first-round knockout win over Jiri Prochazka after suffering some type of serious knee injury earlier in the fight.

Despite the bad wheel, which was giving him noticeable trouble as Prochazka pressed forward and attacked, Ulberg did his best to steel himself and stay in the fight, believing he only needed to land one clean blow to either halt the action, and that’s precisely what he did. As the former champion closed the distance and fired, Ulberg landed a beautiful, short left hook in close that floored Prochazka, and from there, “Black Jag” chased down the stoppage, becoming the fourth Dana White’s Contender Series grad to hold UFC gold and the second to do so in the light heavyweight division.

This is one of the most memorable championship wins in recent memory and I cannot properly articulate the kind of mental toughness and focus it takes to instantly put that injury out of mind and soldier on the way Ulberg did on Saturday night. The instant it happens — and you could see it happen in the fight — the first thought that has to rush through your head is “Oh No!” because you know it’s bad and there is a dangerous man trying to separate you from your consciousness coming towards you. Before that thought has even cleared your head, there must be a rapid “Not Like This!” that follows because after amassing a nine-fight winning streak and finally getting a championship opportunity, the last thing you want is for it to go by the boards because of an injury.

UFC 327 Results, Highlights And Exclusive Interviews

We’ve seen plenty of athletes suffer injuries and immediately declare themselves unable to continue, and there is absolutely no shame in that. We’ve also seen athletes limited by injuries continue, but struggle, with things usually getting worse the longer the fight progresses. What we don’t often see is a fighter with one good leg find a way to block out the instantaneous panic and disappointment, remain locked in, and land a fight-changing blow the way Ulberg did.

Josh Hokit marauded his way into the Top 10 in the heavyweight division on Saturday night, registering a unanimous decision win over Top 5 mainstay Curtis Blaydes in a bloody slugfest where both men were battered and exhausted, but refused to give up.

Prior to and immediately following his fights, Hokit is cringey at best and insufferable at worst: an off-brand heavyweight mashup of Chael Sonnen and Colby Covington where the personas (yes, plural) are forced and sometimes offensive, the promos are scripted and delivered without the flare of Sonnen or the sneering dismissiveness of Covington, and it all feels — at least to me, and that’s the only person I’m speaking for here — like a wholly unnecessary appeal to an audience and algorithm.

But when the bell rings and it’s time to get down to business, Hokit shows a ton of promise, even if he’s still green and in need of refinement. As I said in Fighters on the Rise ahead of UFC 327, we’ve long wondered how an athlete with his pedigree would do if they transitioned to MMA and we’re seeing the answer.

WATCH: About Last Fight | Carlos Ulberg Reveals How He Beat Jiří Procházka For UFC Gold

Hokit is 3-0 inside the Octagon and just beat a 10-year UFC veteran who had previously only lost to champions and contenders. He nearly got Blaydes out of there in the first 90 seconds of the fight, and while he fatigued hard and took a ton of shots from that point forward, he never stopped coming forward, continued to land the more impactful blows, and rightfully scored the decision win. His skills and upside are enough that he doesn’t need the personas and nonsense to court attention — his performances would be doing that either way — but alas, this is the world we live in.

It was announced during the broadcast that Hokit and Derrick Lewis had agreed to fight as part of the UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House in June, which is 10 weeks away. This effort makes that one all the more fascinating, and whether it happens or not — Hokit was transported to the hospital after UFC 327 and it remains to be seen if he’ll be healthy to fight again in the back-half of June — the Season 9 Dana White’s Contender Series grad is doing his part to shake up the heavyweight division.

Two preliminary card fighters scored very different, but similarly crucial victories on Saturday night that merit a little deeper examination.

Aaron Pico looked brilliant in picking apart Patricio Pitbull to register his first UFC win. The 29-year-old, who has been in the combat sports spotlight since he was a teenager, was patient and measured, mixing his targets well on the feet while mixing in timely takedowns that left the former two-division Bellator champion bloodied and bewildered.

After getting sent to the astral plane by Lerone Murphy in his debut, this was as much of a must-win fight as you could find for someone making just their second UFC start, and Pico rose to the occasion and then some. This version of Pico can be a contender, and while it’s one fight and there will always be questions about his ability to take a big shot, his diverse offensive arsenal is so good that when he’s not rushing and leaving himself open, there are fewer big shots for him to worry about because he’s too busy taking the fight to his opponents.

Vicente Luque is just so slick with his chokes from a front headlock position. The second Kelvin Gastelum hesitated while on all fours as he tried to work back to his feet, Luque began attacking an anaconda choke and from there, it was only a matter of time before he tightened the squeeze and secured the tap. This was a really nice middleweight debut for “The Silent Assassin.”

One Last Thing

Everything about Cub Swanson’s final fight was perfect.

From the walkout (“TV Off” by Kendrick Lamar) and the first-round finish of Nate Landwehr to his immediately removing his gloves, being surrounded by his family in the Octagon and the tribute video the UFC put together to commemorate the moment, it was absolutely chef’s kiss the whole way through.

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And Swanson — like Michael Chiesa last month — is walking away despite the fact that he clearly can still go, which makes it even more poignant. He’s ready to move onto the next chapter — it began a while ago and has been ramping up of late — and isn’t going to let a second straight first-round finish change his mind.

You gotta respect that, and him.

Thanks for everything, Cub.