Athletes
Carlos Ulberg Is In No Rush
New Zealand's Carlos Ulberg Looks To Push His Winning Streak To Four At UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida
Things have been rolling for Carlos Ulberg.
And when you’re on a roll, a fight week fit comprised of a hoodie, flip flops, and a bright pink bucket hat sounds about right.
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Ulberg comes into UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida, relaxed and looking to build off a highly successful 2022 campaign which saw “Black Jag” go 3-0 inside the Octagon. The key to that success was finding how to keep his focus and be patient in the moment.
Those lessons were quickly learned in Ulberg’s UFC debut, where he came out of the gates throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Kennedy Nzechukwu. He nearly knocked Nzechukwu out, but Ulberg’s wild striking resulted in him getting caught by one of Nzechukwu power punches. It was total madness for as long as it lasted.
That Fight of the Night-winning war was one heck of a way to start out his UFC career, but it was also an eye-opener for Ulberg and his approach.
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“It was definitely methodical moving on from that debut fight,” Ulberg told UFC.com. “I sat down and realized that it’s more of a career for me, so I needed to adjust myself and adjust to the sport. I’m finding myself really well in this game and understanding that we are in the entertainment business just as much as the fight business.
“My magic is just being patient. Being patient is a virtue, but it’s also a killer.”
Carlos Ulberg Closes The Show Early Against Nchukwi | UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Gamrot
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Carlos Ulberg Closes The Show Early Against Nchukwi | UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Gamrot
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Back-to-back first round knockout wins over Tafon Nchukwi and Nicolae Negumereanu showcased exactly what Ulberg is tapping into. He’s not only picking his moments, but he’s picking moments that devastate his opponents.
And now his sights are set on Ihor Potieria, who enters the fray fresh off a first-round finish of the legendary Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
“He’s a good opponent, he’s experienced, and he’s got a good record,” Ulberg said. “He’s someone we can go through to get to the rankings.”
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Ulberg believes UFC matched the two up because they know that Ulberg and Poteiria are here to make a statement; a statement that the fight fans in the Spectrum Center will certainly appreciate.
“People are going to be in for a treat,” Ulberg said. “We are going to go in there put on a show and people are going to be on the edge of their seats.”
Notching a fourth win in a row would give Ulberg a good case that he should be competing for a light heavyweight ranking sooner rather than later, but he’s not concerned if it doesn’t happen immediately after this fight with Potieria.
He’s in no rush.
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“I’ve just been flying under the radar at the moment, which has been quite good for me,” Ulberg said. “I’ve just been learning on the job and I’m just getting better and better. As you get better you get harder opponents getting closer and closer to the Top 15, so when I get there, I am ready for it.
“I’m ready now but it’s just a matter of going through the ranks first.”
Patience.
“I get this win on Saturday night, we are looking at breaking into the [light heavyweight] Top 15 or close to the Top 15 bracket,” Ulberg said. “From there, we get better and better, but the best is yet to come.”
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida took place live from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on May 13, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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