Posted on: April 12, 2026, 10:12h.
Last updated on: April 12, 2026, 10:12h.
- Ulberg suffers apparent devastating knee injury before knocking out Prochazka in the first round for title win
- Josh Hokit and Curtis Blaydes slug it out over three rounds for “fight of the night”
- UFC President Dana White adds Hokit to White House card June 14
One of the craziest nights in recent UFC history ended with Carlos Ulberg, limping, his right knee apparently blown out during the fight, came out of nowhere to knock out Jiri Prochazka with a sweeping left to the jaw in the first round to capture the light heavyweight title.
Trump Ringside
It was a chaotic night, but one for the ages, if you’re a fan of UFC, with U.S. President Donald Trump sitting ringside at the Kaseya Center in Miami next to his friend Dana White, UFC President.
The light heavyweight title fight wasn’t the only one that had the sold out crowd (17,741) roaring. The heavyweight fight between No. 5 ranked Curtis Blaydes and up-and-comer Josh Hokit was a wild three-rounder, the most combined significant strikes ever thrown in a UFC heavyweight fight (351). Significant strikes by target – 151 to the head, for 87% efficiency, for Blaydes, 164, 93% for Hokit.
Hokit, despite both men wobbling with exhaustion throughout the fight, played to the crowd, regularly flashing a middle finger in the face of Blaydes after taking punches. Hokit, now 3-0 in the UFC, stormed across the Octagon and took the fight to Blaydes right out of the gate. Blaydes’ face was beaten to a pulp – Hokit’s fighter shorts started out white but by the end of the fight had a pick hue, stained with blood.
Ulberg Suffers Knee Injury
In the end Hokit-Blaydes was the UFC’s “Fight of the Night”. As White said afterwards, Trump asked him why one of his favourite fighters, the heavyweight Derrick Lewis, wasn’t on the White House UFC card June 14. White immediately got on the phone to accommodate Trump’s wishes. Lewis’ opponent for the White House event – Hokit, who was asked if he would fight June 14 as he was stepping into an ambulance. Blaydes was sent to the hospital as well.
White said he wasn’t a fan of Hokit’s showboating, going into the fight last night, and definitely didn’t like it during the fight, but Hokit’s performance in the Octagon changed his opinion on the California native, so he offered him the White House fight. Look for Hokit to rocket up the UFC heavyweight rankings.
“(Hokit) walked the talk tonight,” said White post fight. “When people come out and say stupid s*&% and have that sort of schtick, it’s not my thing. But nothing but respect for both of those men tonight and that fight was unbelievable. And, yeah, you won’t hear a word out of me from here on out, about him.
Betting Splits
“It’s one thing to have a schtick and act whatever, and it’s another thing to go in and fight the No. 5 ranked guy in the world who was a bad dude and do what he did to him tonight.
“When the President looks at you and asks, ‘Why isn’t Derrick Lewis on the card?’. You put Derrick Lewis on the card, immediately,” he added.
The light heavyweight title fight going in was a pick ‘em at some books. Others had Prochazka the slight betting favourite (BetMGM had it Prochazka -115, generating 60% of bets, 36% of handle, Ulberg -105). And for good reason. Prochazka had lost twice to Alex Pereira in the division (Pereira vacated the title, moving up to heavyweight). This was a clear avenue at the title, with Pereira out of the way. And Prochazka has devastating, one shot punching power, so bettors liked him.
But the line drifted gradually to the technically proficient Ulberg before the fight, and there was always the risk that the sometimes wild, aggressive Prochazka would leave himself exposed. Prochazka typically takes a lot of punishment in his fights. That’s what happened last night, with Prochazka saying post fight he may have let up, seeing Ulberg down to one leg.
According to BetMGM, going into the fight, Prochazka-Ulberg was the most bet fight (tickets), followed by Blaydes-Hokit, and Azamat Murzakanov-Paulo Costa (won by Costa in an upset). Most bet props before the fight was Prochazka by KO/TKO or DQ +125 and Hokit by KO/TKO or DQ +200.
