On Sunday, Carlos Ulberg will clash with Jiri Prochazka for the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship. He speaks with Christopher Reive about his road to title contention.
Preparing for the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career, Carlos Ulberg was content with the road he walked to reach the top.
On Sunday, the “Black Jag” will compete against Czech finisher Jiri Prochazka for the vacant UFC light heavyweight world title, headlining the UFC 327 card in Miami.
It’s a journey the 35-year-old Kiwi has been on since making his UFC debut in March 2021 as a prospect with a decorated kickboxing background but limited MMA experience, and who was quick to admit he would be learning on the job.
“I think it’s a big learning experience for me, this whole thing. Every camp, you’re learning something different. And this is not just fighting; this is in life, life in general. Learning about myself, learning my capabilities, learning about life,” Ulberg tells the Herald from his hotel room on a rainy Miami Tuesday.
“Whatever I wanted to put myself into, I always wanted to be great at. So I took it on as like a school for me. I’ll study it and study it and just really gave myself those years of really putting myself into the mindset that you need to become a champion. Because that was the goal. To become the champion and then, after that, there’d be more to come after that; retain that title and then continue on.
“This ain’t the end, man. This ain’t even the pinnacle of what it is. There’s so much more ... It’s really just an obstacle that I have to overcome.”
In the five years since his debut, Ulberg’s improvements inside the UFC octagon have been clear. The Kiwi lost his first UFC bout by TKO in the second round after fatiguing himself chasing a finish in the first round.
Since then, he has won nine bouts in a row, showing growth in his management of pace and range while also displaying his striking prowess and eye for a knockout – taking the opportunities as they come rather than trying to force a finish.
Leaving a pathway of destruction behind him, Ulberg felt he made himself undeniable after an emphatic first-round knockout of former title challenger Dominick Reyes in Perth last September. In his nine UFC wins, six have come inside the distance.
Reyes was Ulberg’s third opponent in a row who had either challenged for or held the title, following his decision wins over Volkan Oezdemir and Jan Blachowicz, and his fourth-straight win over a top-15-ranked fighter.
His nine-fight streak is the longest active winning run in the division and is tied for the second-longest in the division’s history, but his is a body of work that has quietly been put together. Not one to speak out of turn or try to stir the pot simply for airtime, he admits a different approach might have led to him earning a title shot sooner.
“Yeah, for sure. I mean, that’s definitely what this entertainment business is about. But it’s not me. You can change it up, but it’s a bit too late for me to change. I mean, there are some things that you can do, but I just don’t feel comfortable doing it. I am who I am and there could be some ways around other kinds of entertainment, but I’m really just focused on becoming the best. I don’t mind going the hard route, and I’ve done it. I’ve done the hard yards. I’ve gone through the division and now we’re here,” he says.
“People will have their own concepts of it. If I was a great speaker they’d be like, ‘oh, maybe he got it given to him because of that’, and you know, I’ve heard this, because of his looks. And if I was a great talker or entertainer, then ‘oh, maybe he just got it given to him’. But I’ve done it the hard way. I’ve done it the way where I believe that and I know that now there’s just no denying me. And I have full confidence when I get in there that I’ve done the hard work and I’ve put myself in this position because of all that I’ve gone through.”
That work hasn’t just come inside the octagon.
Reflecting on what it has taken for him to reach this position in his career, Ulberg says it’s a life that comes with a lot of sacrifices.
“It’s understanding that this whole thing comes with physical pain, emotional stress, time that you never get back, time away from family, time away from your kids. You miss out on birthdays, you miss out on weddings and all that sort of stuff that you wish you could do, but you can’t anymore. You lose a lot of friendships and the biggest thing is time. So that’s what you don’t get back, and I hope that it all pays in the end.”
Against Prochazka, Ulberg will be faced with a challenge unlike any he has had in the UFC to date.
The 33-year-old from the Czech Republic has won 32 of his 38 professional MMA bouts. Across his career, Prochazka has gone to the judges’ scorecards twice.
Since joining the UFC in 2020, Prochazka holds a 6-2 record with both losses against Alex Pereira, who vacated the title to move up to heavyweight later this year. Prochazka joined the UFC after being champion with Japanese promotion Rizin and, after two impressive UFC wins, fought for and won the UFC title. In his eight UFC bouts, three have been for the belt. He is 1-2 in UFC title fights.
It’s his style that makes Prochazka a unique opponent, though. He’s a powerful, pressure fighter, who tends to take plenty of shots but generally gives better than he gets. He fights in an awkward stance and often lands strikes from strange angles.
Ulberg (13-1; 9-1 UFC) knows what awaits him once the octagon door closes, however, and says displaying a high fight IQ and not being drawn into the chaotic game Prochazka likes to play would be an important part in deciding the bout.
“We knew that we’d be in a position like this. Whether it would be for the title or not. We knew that eventually we’d cross paths with Jiri. So it’s been a few years now preparing for someone like Jiri,” Ulberg says.
“He’s unpredictable for sure. He has some holes that we want to definitely exploit, and we think he’s just the perfect fight for us to fight for the title.
“I want the best. At the moment he’s at the top, and there’s no better person for me to take it off or take that top-of-the-mountain spot from.”
For all the work that has gone into getting to this position, Ulberg knows there is more yet for him to work towards in his career.
However, he says having his hand raised and getting the title wrapped around his waist on Sunday would serve as a tangible reminder that everything he had put into his career had been worth it.
He’s the third athlete trained at Auckland’s City Kickboxing to fight for a UFC title. Israel Adesanya is a two-time middleweight champion, while Kai Kara-France twice challenged for flyweight gold.
“Winning a title just gives a bit more hope for New Zealand. It shows the kids back home in New Zealand, or even just up-and-comers, that it’s possible. It’s definitely reachable. We’ve already had one champion in New Zealand [Adesanya], we can get another. I’m sure there can be more,” Ulberg says.
“This is bigger than what I’m presenting right now, me just fighting here. This is big for the MMA sport in New Zealand and Australia. It just gives hope and when you have that, you have a bit more support and you have a bit more interest in the sport. So, it’s going to continue to grow and this is largely because of the success that we’ve been getting over the years.”
And as he reflects on his journey from learning on the job to being a bona fide contender with one win separating him from reaching the top of the mountain, Ulberg reinforces the importance of staying true to himself along the way.
“It’s a big thing, right? It just goes back to just being an inspiration to my two sons,” he says.
“One day, you know, they’ll look at me and their sons and their sons and their sons and daughters will be like, yeah, that was my granddad, great granddad. So I hope to be that figure for them.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.