Latest news with #Ulberg
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ankalaev Vs ... Ulberg?
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) wanted newly-crowned light heavyweight champion, Magomed Ankalaev, to defend his 205-pound title at the upcoming UFC 317 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which takes place during International Fight Week next month in Las Vegas, Nevada. The logical choices for 'Big Ank' were former champions Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira; however, both combatants were forced to decline for different reasons. 'BJP' pulled the Thornton Melon card and went back to school, while 'Poatan' is off battling evil hackers with his X password. Advertisement 'Guys, is there anyone in the Light Heavyweight division who's willing to fight me?' Ankalaev wrote on social media. 'Alex Pereira don't want the Ank anymore. Let's leave him alone because I'm not a bully. Fake ninja he said he have to go back to school because he cannot read. Dana White, Mick Maynard, give me some fish.' Former UFC lightweight, Josh Thomson, has been playing matchmaker on YouTube. 'What you have is Jamahal Hill coming off a loss, Jan Blachowicz coming off a loss, Aleksandar Rakic coming off a loss, Khalil Rountree Jr. coming off a loss,' Thomson said. 'Dominick Reyes is number eight, he's got a win. You've got Carlos Ulberg, that's it, at number three. You have Jiri but Jiri can't fight. I mean, throw, I would say Ulberg, put him in there, see if Ankalaev will stand with him as well. Let's see, like, there's nothing else you can do. I mean, we're looking for that guy to bring an exciting fight to Ankalaev because right now, good luck trying to sell that.' Ankalaev has a reputation for turning in 'boring' fights that force fans to 'zone out.' Advertisement Ulberg jumped to No. 3 in the official UFC rankings after outworking Jan Blachowicz as part of the UFC London fight card back in March. The once-beaten Kiwi, who turns 35 in just a few months, blasted his way into the promotion by way of Dana White's 'Contender Series' back in late 2020. Since then, 'Black Jag' is 8-1 with five finishes, four by way of knockout/technical knockout. The resurgent Reyes, 35, got back into title contention by winning his last three fights. That said, knockout losses to former champions, Prochazka and Blachowicz, could hurt his chances if the decision comes down to Reyes and Ulberg. Hopefully the promotion can figure that out sooner, rather than later. More from
USA Today
23-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Title shot '100 percent' Carlos Ulberg's plan after UFC Fight Night 255 win
LONDON – Carlos Ulberg only sees one logical option after UFC Fight Night 255. Ulberg (12-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) made it eight-straight wins when he defeated former champion Jan Blachowicz (29-11-1 MMA, 12-8-1 UFC) in Saturday's co-main event at The O2 in London. The City Kickboxing fighter wants a shot at newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC), who's currently targeting a title-fight rematch with Alex Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC). 'Eight-fight win streak, the longest win streak in the light heavyweight division, I'm definitely looking at a light heavyweight title contention,' Ulberg told reporters, including MMA Junkie during the post-fight news conference. Ulberg justified his case by comparing his performance against Blachowicz, to when Ankalaev and Pereira fought him. Ankalaev battled Blachowicz to a majority draw at UFC 282, whereas Pereira won a split decision. 'If you look at the current champion and the former champion, their last fight with Jan Blachowicz was a very close fight, as well,' Ulberg said. 'I beat him with a unanimous decision, so it's a very good feat for me.' Earlier this week, former champion Jiri Prochazaka said he's eyeing the winner of Ulberg vs. Blachowicz. Ulberg was asked about Prochazka's callout. 'Yeah for sure, I'll get anyone. But where is he placed at the moment?' Ulberg said. 'I'm looking to go forward for sure, and I'm definitely looking at the title shot in the near future.' For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC London results: Carlos Ulberg edges Jan Blachowicz in snoozer, calls for title shot
Carlos Ulberg earned the biggest win of his UFC career, though it may not have been enough to secure his elusive first title shot. Ulberg edged former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in an uneventful three-round decision on Saturday in the co-main event of UFC London, claiming a trio of 29-28 scores at The O2 Arena in London, England. In victory, Ulberg pushes his division-best win streak to eight straight. Afterward, Ulberg called for a chance to challenge new UFC champion Magomed Ankalaev. "Jan is a veteran so you've got to be careful with a guy like that," Ulberg said post-fight. "He's almost on his way out but he's here to prove a point, so it was good to step in the Octagon with him. "Obviously [I have] the longest win streak in the light heavyweight division, so the only thing left for me is a title shot." Ulberg (12-1) ultimately out-landed Blachowicz (29-11-1) in a low-volume affair, though neither man fought with the same level of urgency they have in past encounters. Blachowicz, 42, opened with an array attacks to Ulberg's lead leg in the opening round and Ulberg, 34, returned the favor in the second frame. With the action tied 19-19 heading into the final five minutes, neither Ulberg nor Blachowicz got out of second gear, allowing Ulberg to steal the round with a 31-25 edge in significant strikes and a 75-59 edge over the contest as a whole. Blachowicz is now just 1-3-1 in his five Octagon appearances since earning a career-best win over Israel Adesanya to defend the UFC light heavyweight in 2021. Check out complete UFC London results, highlights and play-by-play here.
USA Today
22-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC Fight Night 255 results: Carlos Ulberg outpoints ex-champ Jan Blachowicz for 8th straight win
Carlos Ulberg spoiled the octagon return of former champion Jan Blachowicz to continue his winning streak in the UFC Fight Night 255 co-main event. After injuries kept him out of action since July 2023, former light heavyweight champion Blachowicz (29-11-1 MMA, 12-8-1 UFC) stepped back in the cage and went three rounds against surging contender Ulberg (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), who was declared the winner by unanimous decision after three rounds of competitive striking exchanges over the course of 15 minutes. The scorecards were 29-28, 29-28 and 29-28 in Ulberg's favor, and he's now riding a run of eight consecutive victories dating back to February 2022. Another one on the resume! 💪@UlbergCarlos gets the Unanimous Decision in the #UFCLondon co-main event! — UFC (@ufc) March 22, 2025 Blachowicz showed minimal rust from the layoff in the rather uneventful opening round. He landed solid counters and his trademark leg kicks to keep Ulberg at bay and his output low. It was more of the same for the majority of the second frame. The commentary team urged both sides to make bigger commitments in the striking exchanges, and in the instances it happened, the excitement and success for both sides was there. With the fight hanging in the balance going into the final frame, both men were largely content with trading leg kicks, jabs and the occasional combination until time expired and the judges were forced to determine a winner. That man was Ulberg, and he pleaded for a title shot at 205 pounds. 'Obviously the longest win streak in the light heavyweight division, so the only thing left for me is a title shot for me,' Ulberg said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. 'And that's all that matters,' With the defeat, Blachowicz is now on a three-fight losing skid for the first time and the 42-year-old hasn't had his hand raised since May 2022. Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 255 results include: For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.
USA Today
22-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC London: Jamahal Hill doubts Jan Blachowicz will be able to bully Carlos Ulberg to the ground
Jamahal Hill doesn't see Jan Blachowicz having too much success grappling Carlos Ulberg at UFC Fight Night 255. Former champion Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) meets rising light heavyweight contender Ulberg (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in Saturday's co-main event at The O2 (ESPN+). Blachowicz used his wrestling to beat Ulberg's City Kickboxing teammate Israel Adesanya at UFC 259, where he was able to land three takedowns en route to a unanimous decision win. However, Hill is confident that Ulberg's takedown defense will hold up. 'I don't think that Jan is just going to be able to just go in and bully Ulberg to the ground,' Hill said on his YouTube channel. 'I believe he's had a lot of work and he's showed some good prestige as far as the ground goes. Plus, he's more athletic, he's younger, he's got a lot more bounce in his legs. 'I believe that it'll be hard to keep him down – if he can get him down. That's how Blachowicz should try to approach it: Leg kicks, possibly try to get him to the ground, and work from the top position there. But Ulberg standing, his package is kind of wide open. Also, Ulberg body kicks – body kicks for both.' Blachowicz will look to rebound after a split draw against current UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev, followed by a split decision loss to ex-champ Alex Pereira. Meanwhile, Ulberg is on a seven-fight winning streak, with five of those wins coming by finish. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.
