Carlos Ulberg v Alonzo Menifield booked for UFC Atlantic City as Dominick Reyes withdraws

Carlos Ulberg will meet Alonzo Menifield at UFC Atlantic City. Photo / Getty Images

Carlos Ulberg’s pathway to the UFC light heavyweight rankings has taken another turn.

Initially, Ulberg was expected to attempt to extend his five-fight winning streak with a bout against 14th-ranked Dominick Reyes at UFC 297 in Toronto last week. However, Ulberg needed more time to recover from an injury and the bout was shifted.

It led to a little back-and-forth between Ulberg and Reyes on social media, with the fight being rescheduled for the UFC fight night in Atlantic City on March 31.

Ulberg will still feature on the card, but Reyes won’t.

With the former world title challenger withdrawing from the bout for an undisclosed reason, Ulberg will instead meet 12th-ranked Alonzo Menifield.

It’s an intriguing change for the surging Ulberg, going from meeting a southpaw striker who was on a four-fight losing streak (the last three by knockout) to a powerful orthodox puncher with a serviceable wrestling game who hasn’t lost in his last five bouts.

In 12 UFC bouts, 36-year-old Menifield holds an 8-3 record with one draw. Of those eight wins, four have come by knockout and two by submission.

Menifield is an opponent Ulberg has had his eye on for some time. After his breakout KO win over Nicolae Negumereanu at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in late 2022, Ulberg indicated his and Menifield’s paths would likely cross.

“There are a few guys I’m looking out for and there’s some guys who I think would be quite a good fight for me,” Ulberg said.

“Menifield, he’s been knocking out a few guys, he’s got some notable wins, and I think that would be a great match-up.”

The bout will be Ulberg’s first opportunity to break into the rankings after signing with the promotion in late 2020. The 33-year-old has shown considerable improvement since making his UFC debut in 2021, and his most recent submission win over Jung Da-un in Sydney last September showed there’s more in his toolkit than simply being a power-puncher.

Fellow Kiwi Brad Riddell has also booked a return to the octagon, with the lightweight set to make his first appearance in more than a year when he meets Thiago Moises on March 17 in Las Vegas.

Riddell made a hot start to his UFC tenure, rattling off four wins in a row and picking up two performance bonuses to earn himself a spot in the top 15.

However, he has since suffered three losses in a row and, after being submitted by Renato Moicano in November 2022, announced he would be taking a break from the sport.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.