Carlos Ulberg calls out former title challenger after extending ...
Whilst Carlos ‘Black Jag’ Ulberg failed to secure his sixth finish under the UFC banner, the New Zealander was able to extend his winning streak to seven with a hard-fought victory over veteran Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Macau.
Following the unanimous decision victory out in China earlier today, the popular Kiwi would call for a fight against former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, ‘The War Horse’.
Carlos Ulberg vs Volkan Oezdemir on the main card of UFC Macau wasn’t exactly the barnburner that fans were hoping for, but it was still an entertaining fight that played out mostly on the feet.
Ulberg was able to control much of the bout with his superior distance management and when the time came, cracked the Swiss veteran with some powerful straight shots; ultimately, the significant strike stats read 98-96 in favor of the Kiwi, as did the judges’ scorecards.
Despite the knockout shot eluding him, the fight went according to plan from start to finish as he told Maddyn Johnstone-Thomas that “the main thing was for me to keep my range, make him miss and make him pay.
“I’m most proud of having to use my right hand this time, I’ve been using the left hand to try to find the knockout [before] but just to stay focused and go the full three rounds against a veteran in the game, I finished him at his own game.”
Whilst Ulberg didn’t get the chance to call out anyone in the octagon, he did have one name in mind when he spoke with the UFC News crew after its conclusion… ‘The War Horse’.
“Obviously, Khalil had that opportunity last time so I think for our next step, my next step would be against someone like Khalil Rountree Jr.”
UFC MACAU: Petr Yan sends message to Dvalishvili after flawless win over FigueiredoRountree is coming off a tough fourth-round knockout loss to Alex Pereira and currently sits as the #6 ranked light heavyweight in the world – ahead of Tuesday’s update, ‘The Black Jag’ hunts from the #10 spot.
Should Rountree want some extra time to rest and recover from that Pereira fight, Ulberg noted that he’d love to make his return at UFC 312 in February 2025 – which takes place at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
“It would be nice, it’s always nice to compete in front of our home fans but if anyone else closer to the title would be ready to fight me in such a short space of time, yeah.”
“My next step would be up against a guy like Khalil Rountree.”
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 ➡️: https://t.co/TC2gv8hv5E
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Volkan Oezdemir represented the biggest test that Carlos Ulberg has faced in the octagon to date, something that isn’t lost on his supporters.
That's what Ulberg needed. 15 minutes with a top 10 fighter.
Looked very good and vital experience banked.
##UFCMacau
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I guess it’s kind of a testament to Ulberg’s hype that a convincing unanimous decision over a vet like Oezdemir is a bit of a disappointing outcome to fight fans. #UFC #UFCMacau
— bøggsy (@CuSullivan) November 23, 2024View Tweet
Whilst the vast majority of fans had the fight going in Ulberg’s favor, that isn’t to say that the global MMA community was unanimously impressed with his unanimous decision victory.
A really unimpressive win for Ulberg. All I keep thinking watching these gatekeeper type fights is these guys wouldn't touch the likes of Pereira, man.#UFCMacau
— 「Sias」 (@Siasmatic) November 23, 2024View Tweet
In fact, there are countless posts floating around social media suggesting that whilst Ulberg is Top 10 material, he isn’t quite there when it comes to the upper echelon of the 205lb division.
UFC MACAU: ‘King of Kung Fu’ incredibly scores sixth spinning kick KO of his MMA careerWith the win at UFC Macau, Ulberg improves his professional record to 11-1.
WOW: Unbeaten prospect put to sleep by 10/1 underdog in stunning UFC Macau upsetRelated Posts
