Carlos Ulberg claims impressive first round KO win at UFC Fight ...

Carlos Ulberg showed he is a force to be a reckoned with in the light heavyweight division with a first round knockout of Ihor Potieria at the UFC Fight Night in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday (Sunday NZT).

Auckland’s Ulberg (9-1) saw off several early takedown attempts from an aggressive Potieria (19-4) to score his third stoppage win on the bounce, connecting with a perfectly timed left hook as the Ukrainian lunged forward and missed with a sweeping right hand.

With Potieria down on the mat, Ulberg then landed a flurry of unanswered shots on his defenceless opponent, with the referee eventually stepping in to hand ‘Black Jag’ an impressive TKO win with just two minutes and nine seconds on the clock.

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Carlos Ulberg connects with a kick to the face of Ihor Potieria during their light heavyweight bout in Charlotte.

“I saw his head go down, his eyes roll back,” a victorious Ulberg said in his post-fight interview. “I knew he was done.”

The 32-year-old former King in the Ring champion now has four victories in a row in the UFC since losing his debut via second round knockout to Nigerian Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 259 in March 2021 and is emerging as a legitimate contender in the light heavyweight ranks.

The victory is expected to lift the City Kickboxing fighter into the top 15 of the division’s rankings.

Ulberg said he was ready to step up his level of competition in his next outing in the octagon as he eyes a title shot.

“I don't do names but I do numbers,” he said when asked who he would like to fight next. "I know there's a top 15 coming."

“You know what they say – when it rains, it pours, so pour on the cheddar and make it better baby.”

In the main event, Brazil’s Jailton Almeida defeated Suriname’s Jairzinho Rozenstruik via submission in the first round.