The 'Black Jag' is patiently awaiting his next prey. Kiwi UFC light-heavyweight Carlos Ulberg is riding a wave of momentum and is keen to carry it all the way to a title shot. The reigning king of his division just happens to be the most terrifying fighter in the UFC.
However, Ulberg said he does not fear Alex 'Poatan' Pereira. "He's the boogeyman for everyone else, but not me. I'm the boogeyman for him," Ulberg told RNZ.
Ulberg has won his past six bouts in the octagon, finishing five of his past opponents. "I know how much I have confidence in myself, and where the holes that I see that he has, and I would definitely use that to my advantage." The 33-year-old said he respected the rapid rise of Pereira, who became a two-division champ within two years of his UFC debut.
"He's a good fighter. I like his style, his persona, the way he carries himself inside and outside the octagon. He's probably the ultimate fight for me, whether he's got the title or not.
That's a big fight for me." It has been a turbulent time for Ulberg since his submission win over Da Un Jung at UFC 293 in Sydney with a messy string of injuries causing chaos on several cards. Initially scheduled to fight former title challenger Dominick Reyes, Ulberg was forced to pull out of the January bout with Reyes then pulling out of the rescheduled bout in March due to injuries.
Then set to fight Alonzo Menefield as a replacement, that fight was moved to May where Ulberg earned a spectacular 12-second knockout. Anot.