UFC: Carlos Ulberg happy to bide time as UFC education continues with bout against Tafon Nchukwi

Carlos Ulberg returns to the UFC octagon this weekend. Photo / Getty Images

Carlos Ulberg is happy to bide his time.

Earning his opportunity to join the UFC as a decorated kickboxer, but still early in his mixed martial arts career, the 31-year-old always knew it would be a case of getting his education on the job.

That has been evident through his first two UFC appearances. He learned from a second-round knockout loss on his debut with the promotion in a bout he had otherwise dominated, and earned a clinical win on points in his most recent appearance.

On Sunday in Las Vegas, 'Black Jag' makes his third walk to the UFC octagon, looking to show the latest version of himself against Tafon Nchukwi.

"If you see where I'm at now, no one has seen the complete Black Jag just yet," Ulberg said.

"It could be some time for me to get up, because I don't have the right to come out and push myself like I'm some kind of Conor McGregor just yet. I don't have that right until I continue to build myself. Then you'll see the real me."

It's a refreshing approach from someone fighting with the biggest promotion, particularly given he came into the UFC with some hype and plenty of attention from the fans, because he trains at Auckland's City Kickboxing gym alongside the likes of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

But for Ulberg, each fight is about evolving through camp before getting the opportunity to show the improvements to his art under the bright lights. Each fight presents a new opportunity for growth.

Nchukwi is another test in Ulberg's MMA education, with the 27-year-old's power being his greatest asset. Nchukwi has found himself in the awkward position of being too big for middleweight (84kg), where he made his UFC debut, but lacking the size of other athletes at light heavyweight (93kg) - though early in his career he also fought at heavyweight.

However he has shown that while he isn't the biggest athlete in the division, that doesn't impact the level of competition he brings. In his last outing, he put highly-touted prospect Azamat Murzakanov through his paces before ultimately being caught with a knee. It's a performance Ulberg is well aware of.

"I've seen all of the fights. I do my study," he said.

"You've got to watch a little bit of tape just to understand. You don't want to take too much from it, but just to see where they're developing as a fighter. He's had a few months to develop his skill and continue on, so he may not be the same fighter as he was before. He will have developed.

"What you can expect is you will not see Tafon going two rounds with me in this octagon."

Ulberg will go into the bout with the size advantage – though the two have the same reach – and will likely have the speed advantage. While his striking style can cause Nchukwi problems, he knows the Cameroonian will be looking to put him away.

The bout will be the first in a busy month for New Zealand's UFC contingent. Adesanya and Brad Riddell compete the following weekend at UFC 276, also in Vegas, while Kai Kara-France and Blood Diamond have bouts booked for UFC 277 at the end of the month in Dallas.

"It's exciting. What I can do is get the job done here, just focus on doing me, make sure I get the game plan, complete this mission and then I can celebrate with the rest of the team, watch them and be in the glory of their success as well."