Carlos Ulberg | One Win From Greatness

While some fighters like to psych themselves up to a crescendo ahead of fight night, Ulberg likes to keep things relaxed, and getting to spend time with his own thoughts forms a crucial part of his early fight week prep as he centers himself for the fight ahead.

“Sacred. That's what it is,” he explained. “That's how I like to do it, is spend a bit of time on my own as well, just to really soak it in, and not just soak in the energy, soak in everything that's happening. But at the same time, don't let it overwhelm me, because that's where it gets tricky. And I just think it's keeping everything basic. Try not to reinvent the wheel.”

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It’s an approach that has clearly paid off for the 35-year-old Auckland native, who built a 19-2 record as a pro kickboxer before switching to mixed martial arts. After just three pro fights, he was handed a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series, and a first-round knockout of Bruno Oliveira punched his ticket to the big time.

But Ulberg’s introduction to the UFC wasn’t as straightforward as he might have hoped, as he was stopped in the second round by Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 259. It was his first career defeat in MMA, and one that served as a timely reminder that the road to the top was going to be a tough one.
 

“Yeah, it definitely helped me see the bigger picture that, you know, MMA is such a tough sport,” he explained. “You’ve got to be really good at everything. You’ve really got to study the game. You’ve got to understand what you're doing here. It's a very unforgiving sport, as well. Not only do you have to be very good at fighting, there's a lot of other stuff that you have to deal with. I mean, there's a lot of physical pain, but then there's a lot of emotional struggle, as well. So you have to try to marry that all together so that you can not only be the world champion, but be a very good world champion.”

Ulberg duly reset, recovered, then returned at UFC 271 with a decision victory over Fabio Cherant. That put him back on course, and he hasn’t lost since. Now he heads into fight night this weekend riding a nine-fight win streak, with his most recent win, a first-round knockout of former title challenger Dominick Reyes in Perth, Australia, putting him right where he wants to be.

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That victory, and the manner in which he secured it, was particularly significant for Ulberg, who took advantage of a short-notice opportunity to force himself to the front of the light heavyweight queue.

“Every camp was different (but) that was a very special camp for me because of the situation we were in,” he explained. “Taking that fight on short notice, as well, but then also having family there, being so close to home, virtually at home, and doing it the way we did. So I think, yeah, just having that fire in me kind of just gave me that confidence just to get the job done. And that's essentially what we're doing now, is going in there and just finishing it.”

The win over Reyes positioned Ulberg perfectly to take advantage of the changes at the top of the 205-pound division, with former champion Alex Pereira opting to relinquish the title to move up and challenge for the interim heavyweight crown at UFC Freedom 250 at The White House on June 14. 

“Poatan’s” departure from the division leaves the title vacant, with Ulberg and former champion Procházka set to face off on Saturday night to decide who carries the light heavyweight mantle into the summer.

Ulberg had heard the rumors long before the news broke, so when it became reality, he was already mentally ready for the opportunity.

“Yeah, there was always the word around town, right?” he said. “With Pereira possibly moving up – that's been the word for a while now. So, I always thought that was going to happen. So we had to always think that we could either have Jiří , Ankalaev, or someone else that could possibly be put in that picture for the world title shot.

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“And, I think with that fight that Pereira had against Ankalaev, he got the win, and I think the best thing for him was to move up and possibly get that third title in a different division. So we were open to anything in the division, whether it be Pereira, Jiří, or Ankalaev.”

The fight itself is a fascinating clash of styles between two athletes who both prefer to stand and strike, but in vastly contrasting fashion. While Ulberg has a classic kickboxing style, Prochazka’s fighting approach is uniquely his own, making preparing for his style a bit of a head-scratcher, as Ulberg admitted.

“Yeah, there's no real preparing for a particular fighter like Jiří,” he said. “He's very unpredictable. We do have some looks that can give us what we need for this particular fight. It was a short notice to take this fight on – especially it being a world title fight, five rounds. But we've been preparing for this fight for years now. We've seen it happen. We've seen that Jiri could be a possible opponent, whether it be for the title or not; he would be someone in my path.

“We've always been ready. We know we're ready when we go in there. It's just about getting the job done and handling business.”

Ulberg exudes the calm composure of a man who knows that, preparation-wise, all the hay is in the barn. The work is done, the game plan is set, and all that remains is for him to step out under the bright lights of the Octagon and deliver the biggest performance of his career.

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“I've done what I need to do,” he stated. “I think it's just having honest work in the gym and preparing myself. That's where it all comes from. It’s all that visualization will come into fruition when you know you're honest with yourself, and you know you've done the work.

“And this is not just this camp. This is the years of work, the years of struggle, the years of sacrifice – everything that you've put your hard ass to work to make sure that you know that, when you're put into this position, that nobody can deny you.”