The vacant light heavyweight championship is on the line in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 327 when former champion Jiri Prochazka battles Carlos Ulberg.
Prochazka won the title from Glover Teixeira in 2022 but was forced to vacate the belt after suffering an injury. Prochazka twice failed to regain the belt in losses to Alex Pereira, the only man to have defeated Prochazka in the UFC. Now that Pereira has vacated the belt to challenge for the interim heavyweight championship at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, Prochazka has a clear path back to the title.
Saturday represents Ulberg’s first chance at UFC gold. After suffering a knockout loss to Kennedy Nzechukwu in his UFC debut, it appeared Ulberg may have a lower ceiling than the hype that was behind him entering that night. Since that loss, Ulberg has rattled off nine wins, six by stoppage, and now finds himself on the verge of being UFC champion.
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In the co-main event, Paulo Costa returns to action in a light heavyweight fight against Azamat Murzakanov. Costa has struggled late in his career, posting a 2-4 record in his last six appearances. Costa, 34, is coming off an impressive win over Roman Kopylov last July. Murzakanov, meanwhile, is 16-0 so far in his career with 12 knockouts to his name. In fact, the Russian has scored three straight knockouts against an increasingly difficult set of opponents in Alonzo Menifield, Brendson Ribeiro and Aleksandr Rakic.
Jiri Prochazka keeps focus on title fight as girlfriend prepares to give birth back home: ‘I believe in her’
Shakiel Mahjouri
With so much happening on Saturday night, let’s look closer at the full fight card with the latest odds before we get to our staff predictions and picks for the PPV portion of the festivities that you can consider before hitting the sportsbooks.
UFC 327 fight card, odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook (Odds as of April 10)
- Jiri Prochazka -118 vs. Carlos Ulberg -102, vacant light heavyweight title
- Azamat Murzakanov -205 vs. Paulo Costa +170, light heavyweights
- Curtis Blaydes -122 vs. Josh Hokit +102, heavyweights
- Dominick Reyes -148 vs. Johnny Walker +124, light heavyweights
- Nate Landwehr -112 vs. Cub Swanson -108, featherweights
- Aaron Pico -285 vs. Patricio Pitbull +230, featherweights
- Kevin Holland -112 vs. Randy Brown -108, welterweights
- Mateusz Gamrot -205 vs. Esteban Ribovics +170, lightweights
- Tatiana Suarez -148 vs. Loopy Godinez +124, women’s strawweights
- Chris Padilla -162 vs. Marquel Mederos +136, lightweights
- Kelvin Gastelum -278 vs. Vicente Luque +225, middleweights
- Charles Radtke -180 vs. Francisco Prado +150, welterweights
UFC 327 predictions, picks
With such a massive main event on tap, the crew at CBS Sports went ahead with predictions and picks for the main card from Brian Campbell, Brent Brookhouse, Shakiel Mahjouri, Michael Mormile and Brandon Wise.
|
| Prochazka vs. Ulberg |
Prochazka TKO3 |
Prochazka KO2 |
Prochazka KO3 |
Ulberg KO2 |
Prochazka SUB4 |
| Murzakanov vs. Costa |
Murzakanov UD |
Murzakanov TKO3 |
Murzakanov UD |
Murzakanov KO3 |
Murzakanov UD |
| Blaydes vs. Hokit |
Blaydes UD |
Blaydes TKO3 |
Blaydes KO2 |
Blaydes KO2 |
Blaydes TKO3 |
| Reyes vs. Walker |
Walker KO1 |
Reyes KO1 |
Reyes KO1 |
Reyes KO2 |
Reyes KO1 |
| Swanson vs. Landwehr |
Swanson SUB3 |
Swanson TKO2 |
Swanson KO3 |
Swanson UD |
Landwehr UD |
| Records to date |
9-6 |
11-4 |
10-5 |
9-6 |
9-6 |
Jiri Prochazka vs. Carlos Ulberg predictions
Campbell: Let’s face it, Prochazka was built for danger. Words like patience and gameplans only water down what this exciting slugger brings to the table. And with nemesis Alex Pereira having moved up to heavyweight, the time is now for Prochazka to regain his 205-pound title. For as quick and powerful as Ulberg can be, the awkwardness of Prochazka should be enough to give him pause and freeze him. That’s the only opening Prochazka needs to land the big one and finish him off. As evidenced by his rally to finish Khalil Rountree Jr. in the final round last October after being picked apart for most of the fight, Prochazka’s ability to carry his cardio through chaos while dragging foes into the deep end of the pool is unique unto itself and the only man to beat him in the Octagon is no longer in this division.
Brookhouse: Prochazka is a throwback fighter in the sense that his style is unrefined and nearly as strange as his personality. He’s the kind of guy who used to litter MMA cards before everyone trained and refined their game to where a generally homogeneous way of fighting dominates fight cards, with small edges in techniques deciding most fights. For that reason, and the excitement his fights produce as a result, I never want to pick against Prochazka unless it’s against another throwback type of fighter — like Alex Pereira.
Mahjouri: Prochazka is never a safe bet, but that’s why we love him. He will probably get rocked, and we’ll watch with bated breath. But Prochazka has the sheer audacity to eat Ulberg’s punches, march forward and drag the technical striker into an inescapable hellstorm. Prochazka has only lost to Alex Pereira in the UFC — losses that age better with every accolade “Poatan” achieves. Until someone other than Pereira crushes my dreams, I’ll ride with Prochazka.
Azamat Murzakanov vs. Paulo Costa predictions
Campbell: This is the type of big-name opponent the unbeaten Murzakanov needs to truly crack the title picture. Expect Costa, who has lost four of his last six bouts and is making his return to light heavyweight, to play his part as the perfect foil. Costa will be dangerous at times and his reputation for a sturdy chin should be enough to help him go the distance. But he’s simply outgunned in this matchup should he decide to go blow for blow with the powerful Murzakanov. Costa has historically only lost to the best of his division and Murzakanov is starting to look as if he fits that mold.
Brookhouse: One of Costa’s best qualities is his toughness. I don’t know if that toughness will hold up in moving to light heavyweight against a guy who has been ripping through established light heavyweights the way Murzakanov has. While Costa is good at making a fight ugly and willing to make his opponent wallow in the muck with him, he’s not the guy used to fighting at light heavyweight or the one who has actual career momentum, having gone 2-4 since 2020.
Mahjouri: Costa is nearly impossible to finish. That’s a valuable asset against a known knockout artist like Murzakanov. Costa is coming off an impressive win over Roman Kopylmov, where he fought with veteran composure. I don’t have enough information to support Costa as a light heavyweight. Murzakanov’s decision win over Dustin Jacoby wasn’t pretty, but at least I know he can win a 15-minute fight.
Curtis Blaydes vs. Josh Hokit predictions
Campbell: Is the colorful Hokit, an athletic heavyweight with power and a solid wrestling background, the type of newcomer that the division badly needs? Eventually, that could very well be true. But this feels like too much, too soon for the former NFL player in just his seventh pro fight and third walk to the Octagon since debuting in the UFC last November. The fact that the 35-year-old Blaydes has only lost to sluggers with fast hands makes this an interesting matchup given Hokit’s aggressive style and confidence in his technique. But those same heavyweights were named Francis Ngannou (twice), Derrick Lewis, Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall. Hokit has yet to go the distance as a pro and has seen six of his eight fights end in the first round. Expect Blaydes to test Hokit’s gas tank over the full 15 minutes and rely on his wrestling and experience to humble the brash upstart.
Brookhouse: I could pick against Hokit on the fact that I don’t want to see his post-fight promo alone. Beyond personal taste, this feels as though it could be a case of too much, too soon for Hokit. Heavyweight isn’t currently a deep division, but Blaydes is one of the few men who has shown himself to be a reliable performer in the division, and his performances have been good enough that he holds the No. 5 spot in the heavyweight rankings. Hokit has skills, but he has only shown those skills in eight career fights, two in the UFC. And Blaydes is worlds better and more dangerous than Max Gimenis and Denzel Freeman, Hokit’s two UFC opponents. I side with the man who has proven himself dangerous against many of the best in the division over the man hoping to establish himself as on that level.
Who wins Prochazka vs. Ulberg, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $21,000 on his UFC picks since May 19, 2018, and find out.
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