The headliner for UFC 327 has been confirmed as Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg competing for the vacant Light Heavyweight Championship.
The reasoning behind it was Alex Pereira’s decision to move up to heavyweight, hoping to become the first-ever three-division champion, which is why he vacated the belt.
In 2025, both the Czech and Kiwi earned two credible victories, putting them in a strong position for title contention.
Here is what you need to know about the main event, as well as more bouts which have been added to the Miami numbered card.
Prochazka’s slugfesting knockouts proved worthy
In some ways, it may have been a blessing for ‘BJP’ that Pereira moved up a weight class, as he suffered two title defeats to the Brazilian, the only losses of his UFC career.
At UFC 311, Prochazka returned to winning ways when he stopped Jamahal Hill by third-round TKO, which earned him a Performance of the Night (POTN) bonus.
At the same time, he could’ve received an extra $50k for a Fight of the Night (FOTN) bonus as it was a three-round war, but Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov earned that award.
In similar fashion, the #2 light heavyweight contender defeated Khalil Rountree Jr by third-round knockout in another entertaining battle at UFC 320, this time picking up both awards and strengthening his reasons for a title shot.
The 33-year-old is a former 205-pound champion in the UFC, earning the crowning moment in Singapore when he stopped Glover Teixeira by fifth-round submission at UFC 275.
Prochazka has always been seen as a deadly knockout artist, pulling off some amazing finishes and has only gone the distance twice in his 38-fight career.
The Hosteradice-born mixed martial artist has earned 32 MMA victories, securing 28 knockouts and three submissions, as he doesn’t like judges’ scorecards.
The fan-favourite has desperately been trying to become a two-time UFC Champion so he can build a long reign, since he didn’t get to in his first stint, as Miami calls for a new fighter to take the throne.
Ulberg’s triumphant streak made him a rightful challenger
If there is anyone who deserves to be in this position, it’s the ‘Black Jag’, who has only been defeated once in his MMA career, which occurred in his UFC debut.
In March 2025, Ulberg went the distance to defeat former champion Jan Blachowicz by unanimous decision at UFC London to cement a top spot in the light heavyweight rankings.
The #3 contender’s victory at the O2 Arena was not convincing enough for a championship opportunity, so he didn’t waste any time proving that he should be next.
At UFC Perth, the 35-year-old faced Dominick Reyes in the headliner, dominating the former title challenger to win by first-round knockout.
The Auckland-born fighter became a promising prospect in 2024 when he earned a blazing knockout win against Alonzo Menifield, followed by a unanimous decision win against another former 205-pound title challenger, Volkan Oezdemir.
While Ulberg has gone the distance in some of his recent battles, he tends to produce a similar job to Prochazka by knocking his opponents out.
The New Zealander has less than half the bouts of his headlining opponent, competing a total of 15 times, claiming nine knockouts and one submission.
Now that Ulberg has been given the deserving opportunity, he will try to join Israel Adesanya by becoming the second Kiwi to become a UFC Champion.
Other announced bouts for UFC 327
Beneil Dariush vs Manuel Torres
One looks for redemption while the other aims to rise up the top 15, as this is an anticipated lightweight battle that cannot be missed.
Dariush hopes to bounce back in Miami after suffering a 16-second knockout loss to Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 322, plummeting the 36-year-old down the rankings.
Torres has earned back-to-back first-round TKO victories to become the #14 contender, stopping Drew Dober at UFC Mexico City and Grant Dawson at UFC 323.
It’s a fight which can be billed as a veteran vs prospect, and judging by the Mexican’s record, it doesn’t seem likely the bout will go the distance.
Patricio Pitbull vs Aaron Pico
This particular fight will be an eye-catcher as two recognised former Bellator athletes come face-to-face in the UFC, with a spot in the featherweight rankings on the line.
Pitbull claimed his first UFC win when he went to the judges’ scorecards with Dan Ige, triumphing by unanimous decision at UFC 318.
Pico made his debut in his last bout at UFC 319 in the co-main event, suffering a brutal first-round knockout loss to Lerone Murphy as he still searches for his first victory in the organisation.
There is a nine-year gap between the two mixed martial artists as they both hope to shine at the Kaseya Center, just like they did in their old MMA promotion.
Mateusz Gamrot vs Esteban Ribovics
An exciting matchup at 155 pounds should not disappoint as a #7 contender defends his position against one of the most entertaining warriors in the UFC.
Gamrot is aiming to return to the win column after a second-round submission loss in enemy territory against Charles Oliveira at UFC Rio.
Ribovics bounced back in his previous fight with a showstopping unanimous decision victory over Elves Brener, as he’ll be on the hunt for another FOTN bonus.
‘Gamer’ did face an unranked opponent last year and got the better of him, but can he make a repeat when he comes face-to-face with an Argentinian striker?
Christopher Alvidrez vs Francisco Prado
A 23-year-old’s UFC career is on the verge of being cut as he must redeem himself against a debutant who loves a knockout.
Alvidrez is on five successive knockout victories and earned his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) after beating Eliezer Kubanza.
Prado’s losing streak was extended to three at UFC 318 when he lost by split decision to Nikolay Veretennikov, only picking up one win in five UFC appearances.
While this particular bout may not bring a lot of attraction to this completely stacked fight card, it will bring fire to the table as both fighters have high finish rates on their records.
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