While 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 in China earlier today, the popular Kiwi is said to be calling for a fight against former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, 'The War Horse'.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Carlos Ulberg calls out former UFC title challenger after victory in Macau
Carlos Ulberg vs. Volkan Oezdemir on the main card of UFC Macau wasn't exactly the success fans were hoping for, but it was still an entertaining fight that played mostly on the feet.
Ulberg was able to control much of the fight with his superior distance management and when the time came, he defeated the Swiss veteran with some powerful straight shots; in the end, the significant strike statistics read 98-96 in favor of the Kiwi, as did the judges' scorecards.
Despite the knockout shot eluding him, the fight went to plan from start to finish, telling Maddyn Johnstone-Thomas that “the most important thing for me was to keep my reach, make him miss and make him pay.
“I am most proud that this time I have to use my right hand, I used the left hand to find the knockout [before] but to stay focused and play the full three rounds against a veteran in the game, I finished him off in his own game.
While Ulberg didn't get the chance to invite anyone into the octagon, he did have one name in mind when he spoke to the UFC News crew afterwards… “The War Horse.”
“Obviously Khalil had that opportunity last time, so I think our next step would be against someone like Khalil Rountree Jr..”
Rountree is coming off a tough fourth-round knockout loss to Alex Pereira and is currently ranked the sixth-ranked light heavyweight in the world. Ahead of Tuesday's update, 'The Black Jag' is chasing from the #10 spot.
Should Rountree need some extra time to rest and recover from that Pereira fight, Ulberg noted he would like to return at UFC 312 in February 2025 – which takes place at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena.
“It would be fun, it's always fun to fight in front of our home fans, but if someone else closer to the title would be ready to fight me in such a short time, yes.”
“My next step would be against a guy like Khalil Rountree.”
Carlos Ulberg (@UlbergCarlos) hopes to continue his climb to the light heavyweight title picture after his seventh straight victory.#UFCMacau Results, Interviews & More ➡️: https://t.co/TC2gv8hv5E
– UFC News (@UFCNews) November 23, 2024
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Social media are responding that Carlos Ulberg is going a long way with Oezdemir
Volkan Oezdemir represented the biggest test Carlos Ulberg has faced yet in the octagon, something that is not lost on his supporters.
That was what Ulberg needed. 15 minutes with a top 10 fighter.
Looked very good and built up vital experience.
##UFCMacau
— MartinHamiltonMMA (@MartinHMMA) November 23, 2024
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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 result for the fans. #UFC #UFCMacau
— bøggsy (@CuSullivan) November 23, 2024
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While the vast majority of fans had the fight in Ulberg's favor, that doesn't mean the global MMA community was unanimously impressed by his unanimous decision victory.
A truly unimpressive victory for Ulberg. The one thing I keep thinking when I watch these gatekeeper type fights is that these guys wouldn't touch people like Pereira, man. #UFCMacau
— 「Sias」 (@Siasmatic) November 23, 2024
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In fact, there are numerous posts floating around social media suggesting that while Ulberg is Top 10 material, he's not quite at the top of the 205lb division.
With the win at UFC Macau, Ulberg improves his professional record to 11-1.
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