Athletes
Carlos Ulberg: “It’s My Time To Shine"
New Zealand’s Carlos Ulberg Hopes To Prove Himself As A Top Contender With A Win At UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Nascimento In St. Louis
When Carlos Ulberg strides into the Octagon, the 6-foot-4 New Zealander is quite the sight to see. He moves smoothly for a man of his size, maintains range well with his 77-inch reach and fights with the composure of someone with much more than 11 professional bouts on his record. The 33-year-old has always carried himself this way since earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in November 2020, and after a speed bump in his Fight of the Night-earning debut, it’s been smooth sailing for “Black Jag.”
Since dropping that introductory bout to Kennedy Nzechukwu, Ulberg ripped off five consecutive wins, including the last four via finish (plus three first-round knockouts). That streak put him on the precipice of the Top 15. He was to get his first proper crack at the rankings in the form of a bout with Dominick Reyes to start his 2024 campaign, but when that matchup fell apart, he signed on to fight Alonzo Menifield at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Nascimento in St. Louis. In a way, it worked out better for Ulberg, as Menifield is the higher ranked of the prospective opponents, and the delay in the fight allowed for him and his team at City Kickboxing to adjust everything accordingly.
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“I just keep to the same formula,” Ulberg said during his interview with UFC.com. “Just do what I do best and stay in the gym, get honest work in and just push the boundaries.”
If it feels like it’s been a while since Ulberg fought, that’s only because his five-fight winning streak took place over about 19 months, taking him everywhere from Houston to New York City to Sydney.
Along the way, he distinguished himself as a hyper-intriguing player in the light heavyweight division, which continues to turn the page to a new era of contenders. Ulberg is a handful of wins away from eyeing the title picture, but his progressive growth since joining the roster is clear, and it’s a trend he is keen on continuing. A big help in his quick ascent are the teammates with which he works every day in Auckland. Israel Adesanya, Kai Kara-France and Dan Hooker are just a handful of the standouts coming from the gym, as well as the myriad professional martial artists on the mat every day. Their respective journeys up the UFC ladder provide plenty of perspective for a rising fighter.
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“I've seen it all,” he said. “I've been around for a while. Even if it was not just being in the UFC, but watching some of my teammates, older teammates, and I've seen and watched them develop, so I know what to expect.”
Ulberg also believes he knows what to expect when it comes to the “Atomic” Menifield.
The 36-year-old is unbeaten in his last five, including wins over Dustin Jacoby and Jimmy Crute. Ulberg touts him as “explosive” and believes the fight can go in a pair of drastically different ways.
“It could be a total mess, Fight of the Night kind of fight or it could just be a pick ‘em apart kind of fight,” Ulberg said. “It really depends on how he brings a fight or how things play out. We’ll see on the night.”
To this point, Ulberg’s best weapons on the feet include a wicked check hook he times well on advancing opponents. Considering Menifield’s marauding style, that could play right into Ulberg’s hands (and particular his left one).
Regardless, the always-cool Ulberg doesn’t feel the need to prove much of anything besides his perceived reality that he is a Top 10 fighter at 205 pounds. A resounding win on May 11 would do just that, and this could still be just the beginning for him.
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“I feel like I've evolved quite a lot,” he said. “I watch a lot of the events now and seem to learn a lot along the way. I'm continuously learning, continually wanting to evolve and better myself every day. Right now, I feel like I deserve to be in this Top 15, and it's my time now to shine and get out there and show myself.”
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Nascimento took place live from Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri on May 11, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
