Newly crowned UFC Light Heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg risked an astronomical fine by losing the belt in the hours after his brutal knockout victory over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327.
Despite injuring his knee in the opening stages of round one, New Zealander Ulberg, 35, won the light heavyweight strap in emphatic fashion, knocking his opponent out with a powerful left hook with just over one minute of the first round remaining.
Commentator Joe Rogan could hardly believe what had happened, while fans inside Miami’s Kaseya Centre went wild.
Speaking to Fox Sports Australia the following day, the 35-year-old explained how his plan “not to have a drink” quickly changed after securing the title.
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But things may have gone slightly too far, with Ulberg admitting that he had “lost the belt”, which may land him in hot water with Dana White and the UFC.
“I’ve lost the belt, bro,” Ulberg said. “I don’t know exactly where it is.
“Initially, after winning, the plan was not to have a drink, but you know how these things go, right? First, someone gives you champagne to celebrate. Then one thing leads to another and you’re doing shots, so it’s: ‘Okay, I’ll have another, and another, and another…’
“We’ve got a big group of boys over here in Miami and, when the fight was done, we all went out to the after-party at a nightclub. After that, it was back to one of the boys’ apartments and we all hung out there.
“I didn’t want to be carrying the belt around, so I think it’s still there at the apartment somewhere. One of the boys probably has it in bed with him.”
It remains unclear whether Ulberg has found the belt, but if he has not, he may be set to incur a fine of around £300,000.
In 2025, UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall revealed that fighters must pay if they lose their championship belt, which is reportedly worth around £300,000.
Diary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett said: “I heard rumours online that the real thing actually costs about 300 grand.
“And you have to sign a contract that if you lose this belt, then you have to personally pay.”
Aspinall replied: “If it goes missing, I’m paying for it, so hopefully that won’t happen. But it’s in a very safe spot, so it won’t go missing.”
UFC returns this weekend with Gilbert Burns set to take on Mike Malott at UFC Winnipeg.
Topics: UFC, Dana White
Luke Davies