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Carlos Ulberg vs Nicolae Negumereanu – 6/10
The first man to make the walk for the UFC 281 card, Nicolae Negumereanu is a swarming brawler with an iron chin and insane aggression. He may not be the most technically proficient but he definitely brings action. On the other hand you have Carlos Ulberg, another CKB fighter who once had a successful kickboxing career. He is much more measured and technical than Negumereanu, but can be forced into a brawl as we saw against Kennedy Nzechukwu. Cardio then became an issue as he gassed before getting knocked out. Since then Ulberg has turned it around, winning his last two. Especially his last fight was impressive as he absolutely tooled Tafon Nchukwi before getting the KO with a brilliant left hook and swarming combo to get the finish.
The fight is hard to pick. Nicolae could potentially replicate what Nzechukwu did, but could also fall into the trap that Nchukwi fell into and get counter punched into oblivion. This is yet another fight where the odds are basically a pick’em. Although the MMA level is not the highest quite yet, this should be a fun one. Although it must be said that Ulberg’s fight against Fabio Cherant did not live up to expectations, so it is natural to be wary.
Ulberg’s Best Fight: vs Nzechukwu
Negumereanu’s Best Fight: vs Potieria
Missed the cut:
Trizano vs Choi: Trizano likes to use movement to avoid lengthy exchanges in the pocket and Choi wants to go head to head and swing for the fences. Both are talented strikers in a good division but this could be an awkward fight at range.
Kowalkeiwicz vs Juarez: Karolina is getting older and has never been a great wrestler, which is Juarez’s weakness, and Juarez’s knockout power could be deadly against a woman who is 1-5 in her last six, but that would also be exciting.
Blanchfield vs McCann: A weird booking, given Molly’s recent rise to stardom and also her historic weakness to wrestling. Blanchfield is one of the best wrestlers in WMMA today.
Petroski vs Turman: Two unproven prospects that could have an interesting fight but have not yet shown they are of a level to make this list.
