Following a long fight camp, light heavyweight Carlos Ulberg says he’s “glad that now I’ve got some time to just sort of be in my own space, my own head and prepare for this big show.”
Making an appearance during the UFC Macau Fight Week, Ulberg (10-1), known as “Black Jag” and a teammate of Israel Adesanya at City Kickboxing in New Zealand, spoke of going from a fight with ex-champ Jamahal Hill, to instead facing an ex-title challenger in Volkan Oezdemir all these months later.
Both Hill, and Ulberg himself, wound up dropping off the UFC 303 card back in June. That comes with the territory in MMA, with Ulberg admitting to there being “a bit of ups and downs, a roller coaster,” before adding “but it’s the fight game, it’s the business and you expect it. It gave me a a bit of time to just prepare a little longer for this weekend.”
Ulberg, who has won six straight fights in the UFC‘s light heavyweight division, believes he remains on the right trajectory.
“I know it’s going to happen. It’s in due time; my time will come,” he stated. “I know it’s not far, so this fight here is no different. He’s an experienced fighter.”
He also feels that the reward from a win over Volkan Oezdemir is just as lucrative. “I get a good win over Oezdemir, it catapults me high anyway. In this division, at any point we can be called up for the title. So I’m not surprised either way, anything can happen and I’m ready for anything to happen next year anyway.”
Watch the full UFC Macau media day appearance with Carlos Ulberg above.
