Following his latest triumph, UFC light heavyweight Carlos Ulberg is looking to take the next step toward the title.
Ulberg kept his ball rolling in the 205-pound division at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Macau, China, where he got the better of a former title challenger and longtime top-10 contender in Volkan Oezdemir.
The City Kickboxing standout put in the kind of polished and technical display that he’s become synonymous with since falling on the wrong side of a wild brawl with Kennedy Nzechukwu back in 2021.
That marked Ulberg’s last loss, with the New Zealander winning all seven of his fights since. And having likely strengthened his position close to title contention with his performance at the Galaxy Arena, “Black Jag” has a plan to earn a first shot.
“Obviously Khalil had that opportunity last time, so I think for the next step, my next step would be up against a guy like Khalil Rountree,â Ulberg told the UFC’s Maddyn Johnstone-Thomas.
âMy next step would be up against a guy like Khalil Rountree.â
Carlos Ulberg (@UlbergCarlos) is hoping to continue his climb into the light heavyweight title picture after picking up his seventh win in a row.#UFCMacau Results, Interviews & More âĄïž: https://t.co/TC2gv8hv5E
“The War Horse” put in a valiant effort opposite the former middleweight and reigning light heavyweight kingpin, winning the first two rounds before falling victim to a comeback and the famed power shots of “Poatan” in the fourth stanza.
Having gotten past the #8-ranked Oezdemir, Ulberg wants a crack at the #6 man in the division next year as he looks to become the latest title challenger to emerge from Auckland’s City Kickboxing camp.
After a pay-per-view inside the prestigious Madison Square Garden â and before focus turns to the UFC’s final numbered event of the year in Las Vegas â the MMA leader was on the road to stage a card in Macau for the first time in a decade.
Headlining at the Galaxy Arena were two former champions in ex-bantamweight kingpin Yan and a two-time occupier of the flyweight throne in Figueiredo. With both men coming off wins over top-10 opposition, a shot at Merab Dvalishvili’s 135-pound gold was discussed as being in store for Saturday’s victor.
That turned out to be Yan, with “No Mercy” putting in a vintage striking performance to sweep the scorecards.
Elsewhere on the UFC Fight Night lineup, Yan Xiaonan emerged victorious from her first outing since falling short of the title against Zhang Weili earlier this year, Carlos Ulberg got the better of fellow hard-hitting light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir, and the Road to UFC finals delivered some memorable moments on the prelims.
With that said, see below for the full results, followed by all the best highlights.
UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Figueiredo Results & Highlights
Main Card:
Bantamweight Main Event: Petr Yan def. Deiveson Figueiredo via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Womenâs Strawweight Co-Main Event: Yan Xiaonan def. Tabatha Ricci via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Welterweight: Muslim Salikhov def. Song Kenan via KO (spinning wheel kick): R1, 3:49
Womenâs Flyweight: Gabriella Fernandes def. Wang Cong via submission (rear-naked choke): R2, 3:49
Light Heavyweight: Carlos Ulberg def. Volkan Oezdemir via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Light Heavyweight: Zhang Mingyang def. Ozzy Diaz via TKO (elbow & punches): R1, 2:25
Preliminary Card:
Road to UFCÂ Bantamweight Final: SuYoung You def. Jieleyisi Baergeng via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Road to UFCÂ Flyweight Final: DongHun Choi def. Kiru Singh Sahota via KO (punch): R1, 2:36
Road to UFCÂ Womenâs Strawweight Final:Â Ming Shi def. Xiaocan Feng via KO (head kick): R3, 0:46
Flyweight: Carlos Hernandez def. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Flyweight: Loneâer Kavanagh def. Jose Ochoa via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Bantamweight: Long Xiao def. Quang Le via KO (punches): R3, 1:28
everytime Fig ducks in Yan takes a head outside the shoulder position for either underhooking the takedown or clinching and throwing a punch off the break pic.twitter.com/TdAKDQJLVV
Carlos Ulberg’s climb up the UFC light heavyweight rankings continues on following possibly the biggest win of his career thus far at UFC Macau, where he took a decision over former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir.
Though neither man was able to get the knockout blow, both threw with pressure and power over the course of 15 minutes. Plenty of punching from the pair in the first round saw Oezdemir try to bring the pressure, but “Black Jag” landed the stronger strikes and a number of counter-shots on his Swiss opponent.
Oezdemir looked to continue his pace heading into the second round, attempting to take solid control of the fight. Ulberg had other plans, however, and paced himself while methodically piecing “No Time” up.
Ulberg ultimately took all three judges’ scorecards with two 30-27s and one 29-28.
Carlos Ulberg Gets Decision Over Volkan Oezdemir In Top-10 Light Heavyweight Battle At UFC Macau
i'll take hill vs. ulberg, but i think ulberg starches hill right now hill has terrible footwork, he's kinda trash
Good showing by Ulberg against his most experienced opponent t. Thatâs worth more than a first round KO sometimes. Not sure when Khalil will even be ready to fight again but him or Rakic next would be nice.
That was a good fight, Volkan always comes with the right ideas but Ulberg's cleaner mechanics and punishing his entries really put him off working hard enough to get him tired. Best performance of Ulberg's career, managed fatigue well, kept being technical and powerful.
City Kickboxing’s Carlos Ulberg looks to earn his seventh win in a row inside the Octagon this weekend when he returns in Macau to face former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. The #10-ranked contender at light heavyweight is one of many fighters from his gym and on the UFC roster as a whole that came into the sport with a background in kickboxing.
Kickboxing has always been a well represented skill set in MMA but for a long time, a lot of these specialist strikers tended to have a cap on their capabilities. It was only the ones that were able to really improve their overall game who achieved a lot of success at the highest level.
The likes of Ulberg’s teammate Israel Adesanya and the champion of his weight class, Alex Pereira, have shown what is possible for elite level strikers that are able to adapt their games for the Octagon. In a recent interview with Kevin Iole ahead of his return this weekend, Ulberg spoke about the growing number of kickboxers and the success they have in MMA.
He believes that the main difference is that there is far more emphasis now on creating a skillset for MMA, rather than being a striker with some wrestling and jiu-jitsu added on. This can also be seen with Adesanya saying that other kickboxers from his gym like Navajo Stirling are more well-rounded than he is because they’ve adopted this approach earlier on.
âA lot more attention is going to MMA in particular. There is not one particular where everyoneâs just got a few more tricks now to present themselves with and I feel like if you donât have the full package then youâre not going to go very far in the division.
âItâs a universal language when it comes to MMA right now where you kind of have to build all of your skill set in terms of your grappling as well as your stand up game.â
The lineup has come together for the mixed martial arts leader’s return to China for a UFC Fight Night card inside Macau’s Galaxy Arena.
November 23 will see Octagon action take place in Macau for the first time in over a decade. And the promotion is set to bring plenty of notable names along with it to the Chinese region.
And while confirming that on social media, the UFC announced a number of other intriguing matchups. Of note is the next fight for China’s own Yan Xiaonan, as well as charging light heavyweight contender Carlos Ulberg.
Seven months on from her failed title challenge against Zhang Weili (18-4, 1 NC) at UFC 300, Xiaonan will look to bounce back in front of her home fans against the #9-ranked Tabatha Ricci (11-2). “Baby Shark” has won two straight, most recently outpointing Angela Hill last month.
Ulberg (10-1), meanwhile, will be making his return after having an injury take away his chance of competing at International Fight Week this past June, where he had matchups with both Jamahal Hill and Anthony Smith fall through.
He’ll have the chance to consolidate his spot inside the light heavyweight top 10 when he takes on former title challenger and current #6-ranked contender Volkan Oezdemir (20-7) in Macau.
UFC 302 is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed martial arts leader’s next pay-per-view offering.
The promotion was in Newark, New Jersey, last week, where the Prudential Center played host to a number of intriguing matchups. Of note were victories for UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev, former middleweight kingpin Sean Strickland, the always entertaining Kevin Holland, and heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida.
While the aftermath of the June 1 card is currently the talk of the town, it won’t be long until focus sways to the next PPV, and from the current crop of elite lightweights to one of the division’s former champs.
At UFC 303, set for Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on June 29, former two-division UFC titleholder Conor McGregor will make the walk for the first time since suffering a gruesome leg break against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
Hill, Ulberg, Garry, Page Set The Stage For McGregor Headliner At UFC 303
Before “The Notorious” Irishman makes his long-awaited comeback in the main event, a number of high-profile names will take to the Octagon looking to make the post of their position on the major card.
Then, setting the stage for McGregor vs. Chandler in the co-main event will be former light heavyweight champ Jamahal Hill. “Sweet Dreams” is making a quick turnaround following his knockout loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 300. He’ll share the cage with the charging Carlos Ulberg, who is stepping in as a short-notice replacement for Khalil Rountree.
See below for the full UFC 303 card, as it stands.
Main Card:
Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler (welterweight main event)
Jamahal Hill vs. Carlos Ulberg (light heavyweight co-main event)
Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson (women’s bantamweight)
A win would be massive for Ulberg but it could also lead to a big moment for his team due to the implications of beating the former champion.
Dan Hooker Says City Kickboxing Is Excited About The Idea Of Carlos Ulberg Challenging Alex Pereira
Victory against Hill on June 29 could tee Ulberg up for a title shot later on in the year and that means one thing.
Assuming that the champion doesn’t defend his belt beforehand and lose it, this would lead to the City Kickboxing team going up against Alex Pereira once again.
The New Zealand-based gym are very familiar with “Poatan” given his four previous encounters with Israel Adesanya but with Ulberg potentially getting himself in the mix at 205 pounds, they have a new match-up to think about.
On Sky Sports New Zealand, Dan Hooker spoke about Ulberg going on to challenge Pereira if he wins on June 29 and how the team feels about the idea of that happening in the near future.
“That puts Carlos Ulberg one fight away from a title fight against Alex Pereira so I think… we’re all excited about that cuz yeah, Israel didn’t even know and then Israel, I told him. I said he’s fighting Hill and then he goes ‘and then Alex!’ and then Izzy just got goosebumps man, he was so excited for Carlos.
“So excited just thinking about that fight as well because like in our opinion, not only do we think Carlos beats Hill, we think he beats Alex as well. We think that’s one heck of a fight but we feel like Carlos has the edge over Alex as well and the amount of camps we’ve done preparing for Alex, we got a pretty solid game plan for that here at City Kickboxing.”
Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For May 28, 2024, weâre taking a look at:
White praises McGregor’s business and fighting mind
Vera has suspicions of Brazilian drug testing protocol
Ulberg talks ahead of huge opportunity on June 29
Dana White Talks About What Makes Conor McGregor Special That You Simply Can’t Teach
During a recent appearance on the In Search of Excellence Podcast, UFC President Dana White spoke about the emergence of Conor McGregor as a superstar.
White recalls his first encounter with “The Notorious” where they met in Las Vegas after he was signed to the promotion.
White also emphasised how despite coming from a working class background and cashing welfare cheques, McGregor is an excellent businessman with a great mind for the sport.
He credited the former UFC champ-champ with having the kind of instincts that you simply can’t teach, comparing him to one of the biggest combat sports stars that came before him.
“If you look at all the brands that he has built off of his brand, very very sharp kid. When you hear some speak, he’s very articulate about fighting. Again when you talk about fighter IQ, like Tyson, Conor’s fight IQ is off the charts.”
Vera suffered a defeat to Aldo back in December of 2020 which he rebounded from with a great winning streak.
During a recent appearance on the Jaxxon Podcast, Vera suggested that he isn’t sure whether or not his former opponent was being tested for his return fight.
“Chito” didn’t say for certain but he does have his suspicions about what went down in Brazil.
In a recent interview with Engage on YouTube, he spoke for the first time about this fight and where he stands on McGregor and fighting on the same card as his comeback.
“We’re going up against Hill, I think he’s number three at the moment so that’s some really good news that puts us in a really good spot and I’m not going to pass that opportunity.”
“He is definitely a big star and to fight under that undercard would be amazing and if we can get the co-main event, then that’d be even more spectacular so yeah man.
“He goes in with confidence and that’s something that I like to lead into my fights. When I jump in that cage, it’s just me, my opponent and the preparation that I’ve had prior.”
Beating Hill, who headlined UFC 300 in April against Alex Pereira, will see Ulberg extend his winning streak to seven and likely secure himself a position in the top five.
In his first interview since the fight was made official, he told Engage about what this fight and opponent means to him.
“We’re going up against Hill, I think he’s number three at the moment so that’s some really good news that puts us in a really good spot and I’m not going to pass that opportunity.”
Carlos Ulberg Talks Fighting On The Same Card As Conor McGregor On June 29
Competing on International Fight Week is already a big deal but this year’s instalment is something entirely different.
Ulberg vs Hill will take place in a prominent spot on the PPV main card of UFC 303 which will be headlined by the returning Conor McGregor.
This fight was already the biggest of his career but now the 33-year old has the opportunity to secure a massive win on one of the biggest platforms possible.
In the interview with Engage, Ulberg spoke about McGregor and how he is able to draw inspiration from “The Notorious”.
“Yeah McGregor is obviously the biggest star to rise out of the UFC and even sporting alone. So everybody that you talk to, they all know McGregor even if they’re not MMA fans. I spoke to someone today and they didn’t know about MMA but they knew who McGregor was which was amazing so he is definitely a big star and to fight under that undercard would be amazing and if we can get the co-main event, then that’d be even more spectacular so yeah man.
“He goes in with confidence and that’s something that I like to lead into my fights. When I jump in that cage, it’s just me, my opponent and the preparation that I’ve had prior.”
