Athletes
Carlos Ulberg: ‘This Is The Easy Part’
Coming Off Three First-Round Finishes, Light Heavyweight Carlos Ulberg Challenges Da-un Jung At UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland in Sydney, Australia
UFC fans were first introduced to Carlos Ulberg on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, when City Kickboxing’s light heavyweight prospect stole the show with a first-round knockout.
That win improved Ulberg’s record to 4-0 and, at the time, he believed he was unbeatable. Four months later, Ulberg entered the Octagon for his UFC debut against Kennedy Nzechukwu. Through five minutes, Ulberg looked like he was on his way to his fifth consecutive win, until a devastating right hook from the Nigerian late in the second round closed the show.
Order UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland
Looking back at that loss two-and-a-half years later, Ulberg believes it was a turning point in his career. He said it helped him mature as a mixed martial artist and learn that there’s a lot more work that needs to be done if he wants to reach the highest level of the sport.
“My debut loss was a blessing in disguise,” Ulberg said. “I thought I was untouchable, I thought I was invincible. When that happened, I knew there was a lot more work to do. You can be as physically fit or athletic as you can, but there’s a lot more to it. There’s a lot of mental structure and there’s a lot more to study in the game.”
How To Watch UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland
Returning home to New Zealand, Ulberg was surrounded by a wide supporting cast of elite mixed martial artists at his gym. The most notable, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. And while fans may know Adesanya more than the other athletes at the gym, if you were to watch a training session, you wouldn’t be able to tell who’s a superstar and who’s still on the rise.
“City Kickboxing, it’s grown through culture,” Ulberg said. “No one is any higher than anyone else. Even when you look at someone like Israel [Adesanya], who’s been the champion for a while, no one looks at him as if he’s anything higher [and] he doesn’t feel like he is, as well. We respect each other and we come into the gym every day, every single morning and we treat each other as family.”
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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One aspect of fighting that Ulberg has focused on improving these last few years is his mental clarity. By training diligently for 13 long weeks, Ulberg removes any doubts from his mind that he didn’t do everything he could to perform his best.
“Just let it flow and it’ll happen,” Ulberg said. “That’s my new form of attack. I trust in my training, I trust in my corner, and I know that I’m destined to get to the belt, so that’s where I’m going, and I don’t think anything’s going to stop me.”
Preview Every Fight On UFC 293
Ulberg returns to the Octagon this weekend for UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland, where he’ll face Da Woon Jung in the featured prelim. Unlike his five previous fights, all of which were halfway around the world in the United States, the Kiwi only needed to take a three-hour flight to touch down in Sydney, Australia for fight week.
Looking at his opponent stylistically, Ulberg believes he’s facing a strong, complete martial artist. But Ulberg kept it brief, not wanting to dive into his strategy only a few days out from the fight. But having envisioned getting his hand raised numerous times throughout this fight camp, Ulberg assures his fans that he’ll get his hand raised by any means necessary.
Being so close to home, and sharing the card with other City Kickboxing talent, Ulberg can expect to walk out to thousands of those fans who were also able to make the short trip to Qudos Bank Arena.
“It’s quite nice to have the whole team here,” Ulberg said. “I’ve got a lot of family and friends here. I used to stay here in Sydney when I was younger, so I feel right at home. I’m comfortable. Training is going really well. The boys are all hot at the moment; we’re on fire. Come Sunday, everyone’s going to go in there and perform.”
“I’ve always visualized this: fighting in Australia or at home. Even just being here, fight week is my time to reconnect with my higher self. We’ve done 13 weeks of hard training and now we get to relax. This is the easy part. We’ve got a bit more time on our hands now and we get to sit back and watch a few movies or relax a little bit.”
UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland took place live from Qudos Arena in Sydney, Australia on September 9, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
