Carlos Ulberg | Willing To Do Whatever It Takes

“I went back, had about a week off, and then I went straight into the gym,” Ulberg said. “That's the way we like to do it. We're on a roll at the moment and I think we just want to keep the momentum.”

It wasn’t the 12-second knockout performance he had over Alonzo Menifield in St. Louis, but Ulberg was able to defeat Oezdemir by unanimous decision. Of course, many fighters want to go out, get the job done early, and move on to the next one, but looking back on it, Ulberg is grateful that he was able to spend 15 minutes battling someone who has been in the UFC since 2017. 

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“It would be nice to get the knockout, and just save the body, but it was also really nice to be able to stick in there with someone who has experience in the Octagon,” Ulberg said. “I'm quite happy with the result and also to do it to someone who has been in there, who's fought five rounds, and been in there with some of the best in the game.”

Not only does Ulberg get the experience with people in the Octagon, but also outside of the Octagon during his training and preparation at City Kickboxing, where he trains with Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski, and Dan Hooker, just to name a few. 

It’s always good to have that type of energy in the gym, but especially heading into this fight, as he gets to pick the brains of Adesanya and his coaches, who have trained for and faced Błachowicz when he held the title in March 2021. Ulberg has always been very confident in his coaches and what they bring to the table, and that’s no different heading into this matchup. 

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“The helpful thing is to have the coaches exactly know the game plan,” Ulberg said. “There's no secret that Jan is going to definitely try to take me down and get some wrestling in, which is quite nice. It would be nice for me to get that experience in, as well. In terms of having the upper hand of anything, it's more so to do with the coaches understanding his fight strategy and his tendencies.”

When you look at this matchup, it really is a wave of new blood versus old blood, as Ulberg is still on the younger end of his career, while Błachowicz understands that the end may be closer than the start. Ulberg has only suffered one defeat and that was in his UFC debut against Kennedy Nzechukwu, where he was knocked out in the first round. 

If one thing is true, it’s that Ulberg is hungry to have UFC gold wrapped around his waist and he is willing to do whatever it takes in the fight to get one step closer to that goal. And the title picture looks a bit intriguing at 205 pounds now after Alex Pereira was dethroned by Magomed Ankalaev two weeks ago. With Błachowicz sitting at No. 3 and Ulberg at No. 6, a win could put either man into the talk of future contenders for Ankalaev. 

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But like he has always been, Ulberg is focused on the task and not worried about what will come after. 

“I think everything will present itself as it comes for me,” Ulberg said. “It's just making sure I get the win. I trust and I have belief and faith that I'm going to get this one, and everything will kind of just present itself as it comes.”