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With a first-round knockout of American Dominick Reyes in Perth, Kiwi Carlos Ulberg has left no question about who should be the next challenger to the UFC’s light heavyweight title.
It was a risky fight for the 34-year-old to take; putting his No 3 ranking in the division on the line to fight two-time title challenger Reyes, who was ranked at No 7 and on a three-fight win streak all by knockout.
But it was a necessary step to first, stay active and, second, prove a point. While he broke into the UFC rankings with a spectacular knockout, Ulberg’s other wins against top-10 opponents have come by decision in relatively unspectacular fashion.
The UFC wants excitement, and in his first UFC main event, Ulberg delivered in spades. In a tense first round, Ulberg stung Reyes with a jab inside the final minute, before following that up with a heavy right hand on the chin.
That sent Reyes to the canvas, with one more right hand extending Ulberg’s winning streak to nine.
Speaking to the Herald after the fight, Ulberg said he had already turned his attention to his next task.
“You know what, man, I’ve quickly gotten over it. That job’s done for sure. As soon as I walked out of the cage, I closed the chapter and I’m on to the next.”
It made it a perfect night for New Zealand mixed martial arts. Fellow City Kickboxing-trained athletes Navajo Stirling, Cameron Rowston and Brando Peričić all won, while Michelle Montague also had her hand raised as she became the first woman to fight under the UFC banner, with members of Hamilton’s Core MMA gym in her corner.
For Ulberg, he’ll likely now jump on a plane to Las Vegas to sit cageside for UFC 320 next week, where reigning champion Magomed Ankalaev puts the title on the line against the man he took it from, Alex Pereira.
There is also a clash between top-ranked light heavyweights Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree jnr on the card, but it’s hard to see either of them usurp Ulberg for the shot at the belt now.
Earlier on the card, Matamata’s Montague, now Florida-based and training out of the famed American Top Team gym, claimed a unanimous decision win over Luana Carolina, showing her grappling strength to get a dominant result over the Brazilian.
In her seventh professional MMA bout, the former Waikato rugby player didn’t have things her own way. Her most competitive fight to date, she was tested on the feet as she was rocked a couple of times, but stayed composed to otherwise put in a strong performance.
Fellow Kiwi Navajo Stirling continued his UFC rise with a unanimous decision win over Rodolfo Bellato. That first UFC knockout continues to allude Stirling, though not for a lack of trying.
The 27-year-old looked to have had Bellato in trouble in the first round, but the Brazilian proved to be a tough out and continued to walk forward. Stirling had to dig deep late in the bout as both men showed signs of fatigue, but ultimately won a pretty convincing decision for his third win with the promotion.
It was a successful night for his and Ulberg’s teammates from City Kickboxing too, with Auckland-based Australians Rowston and Peričić needing less than a round to get their first UFC victories.
Heading into the event knowing the UFC had recently been cutting heavyweights who hadn’t been putting on exciting fights, Peričić knew that wouldn’t be a problem for him. He showed as much as he went after his American opponent Elisha Ellison early, using his size advantages well and hitting with power.
Middleweight Rowston also showed his finishing instincts were sound against established UFC veteran Andre Petroski. After dropping the American with a seemingly innocuous shot that landed on the right spot and sent Petroski to the canvas, Rowston jumped on him. While Petroski defended well initially, it was only a matter of time before Rowston forced the referee to step in.
In his post-fight interview, Rowston gave a shout-out to teammate Israel Adesanya, borrowing the call-out from Adesanya’s successful UFC debut in the same building seven years ago.
“Middleweights; I’m the new dog in the yard.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.