The UFC light heavyweight championship is now vacant after Alex Pereira relinquished the title, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed on Instagram Live Friday. The choice clears the way in which for a vacant title bout between former champion Jiri Prochazka and surging contender Carlos Ulberg within the fundamental event of UFC 327 on April 11 at Kaseya Center.
Pereira exits the 205-pound division after a title run that included three successful defenses following his initial championship victory in 2023. He regained the belt with an 80-second technical knockout of Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320, avenging his decision loss of their first meeting. The 38-year-old first captured UFC gold in 2022 at middleweight by defeating Israel Adesanya, becoming champion in only his fourth UFC appearance after debuting in 2021. A former two-division kickboxing world champion, Pereira also holds stoppage wins within the UFC over Sean Strickland, Jan Blachowicz, Jamahal Hill, and Khalil Rountree Jr.. He recently weighed in at 243 kilos, resulting in speculation of a move to heavyweight in pursuit of becoming the primary three-division champion in UFC history.
The vacant title fight can be Prochazka’s third try to reclaim the belt he surrendered in 2022 as a consequence of a shoulder injury. The 33-year-old Czech owns a 32-5-1 record and is 18-2 since 2015, with each recent defeats coming via second-round knockout against Pereira at UFC 295 and at UFC 300. Since then, he has rebounded with knockout victories over Hill and Rountree, maintaining his No. 2 rating at light heavyweight.
Ulberg, 35, enters with a 13-1 record and a nine-fight winning streak since losing his 2021 UFC debut. The Latest Zealander, ranked No. 3, most recently scored a first-round knockout of Dominick Reyes and holds consecutive wins over Blachowicz and Volkan Oezdemir.
UFC 327 may even feature a flyweight title co-main event between champion Joshua Van and challenger Tatsuro Taira, together with bouts including Johnny Walker vs. Reyes and Azamat Murzakanov vs. Paulo Costa. White added that further details regarding the upcoming UFC White House event can be announced next week.