Tag: Carlos Ulberg

Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC London fight

Carlos Ulberg is a favorite to pass the biggest test of his career at UFC Fight Night 255.

[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] will look to emerge as a title contender when he takes on a former champion at UFC Fight Night 255.

Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg preview

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) hasn’t competed since a split decision loss to current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in July 2023. Prior to that, he battled Magomed Ankalaev to a split draw in their vacant title fight at UFC 282.

Since losing his UFC debut, City Kickboxing’s Ulberg (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) has won seven straight, most recently a unanimous decision over former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Fight Night 248.

Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg odds

According to DraftKings, Ulberg is a moderate -205 favorite over Blachowicz, who’s listed as a +170 underdog.

How to watch Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg at UFC Fight Night 255

  • When: Saturday, March 22, 2025
  • Where: O2 Arena, London, England
  • Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.

Jan Blachowicz points to main focus before UFC London return vs. Carlos Ulberg

If Jan Blachowicz can manage his cardio, he’s confident he has all the tools to beat Carlos Ulberg at UFC London.

If [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] can manage his energy, he’s confident he has all the tools to beat [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] at UFC London.

Former champion Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) returns against Ulberg (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) on March 22 at UFC Fight Night 255 from O2 Arena in London.

Blachowicz hasn’t competed since a split decision loss to current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in July 2023. The fight took place in Salt Lake City, and Blachowicz says his performance was impacted by the high altitude – and that’s something he’s focused on fixing for this training camp.

“Now it’s a secret, but I need to change something,” Blachowicz told “Home of Fight” of his training camp. “Because (I’m) 42 almost, so I need to train in a little bit different way, but we are going to do similar things. I know how to beat people. I know how to fight. I have to focus about the most – I don’t want to be tired in the fight.

“So I have to focus about the cardio. I have got everything. I’ve got knockout punch power, I’ve got good striking, I’ve got good wrestling, I’ve got good jiu-jitsu game. I need to focus about the cardio because last time with Pereira, my breath was very heavy, and I don’t want to do this mistake anymore.”

With a win over streaking contender Ulberg, Blachowicz plans on calling for a title shot.

“He’s a standup fighter. I am standup fighter,” Blachowicz said of Ulberg. “But you know, if I’m going to have to use my wrestling, I will go and do it. It’s MMA, but I like fighting standup, so for sure people are going to see a lot of punches.

“He’s a very good fighter, good left hand, good footwork. I’m excited. Seven wins in a row, amazing. It’s time to stop him. … I think if I win this fight in a good way, anywa I will start talking only about the title shot, nothing else.”

[lawrence-related id=2764740,2739287,2739117]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.

Former UFC champ Jan Blachowicz returns vs. Carlos Ulberg in London

Jan Blachowicz has been out since 2023 due to a shoulder injury, but he returns in a big fight at UFC London.

A big fight in the UFC light heavyweight division is headed to London.

Former champion [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] returns from a near-two-year layoff as he battles [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 255. Promotion officials announced the bout Tuesday. The event takes place March 22 at O2 Arena.

Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) has not competed since a loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 291 in July 2023. The bout was Pereira’s first at 205 in the UFC, and was a closely contested split decision win for “Poatan.” Blachowicz was supposed to compete at UFC 297 in January vs. Aleksandar Rakic, but withdrew due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.

Ulberg (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) competed less than three weeks ago at UFC Fight Night 248. He defeated Volkan Oezdemir by unanimous decision, which extended his winning streak to seven. Ulberg has not lost since his UFC debut, which was a TKO defeat to Kennedy Nzechukwu.

In addition to the light heavyweight contender fight, promotion officials also announced Tuesday a heavyweight bout between ranked fighters [autotag]Mick Parkin[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] (26-9 MMA, 13-8 UFC).

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 255 lineup includes:

  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Mick Parkin vs. Marcin Tybura
  • Shauna Bannon vs. Puja Tomar
  • Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Andrey Pulayev

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.

UFC Fight Night 248 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Deiveson Figueiredo’s $16,000 leads way

The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program has now paid out $30 million to athletes since its deal began with Venum.

MACAU – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 248 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $160,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 248 took place at Galaxy Arena. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 248 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Gabriella Fernandes[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Wang Cong[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Zhang Mingyang[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ozzy Diaz[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Su Young You[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Balgyn Jenisuly[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Dong Hoon Choi[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kiru Sahota[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ming Shi[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Xiaocan Feng[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Nyamjargal Tumendemberel[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Lone’er Kavanagh[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jose Ochoa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Xiao Long[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Quang Le[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Hayisaer Maheshate[/autotag]: $4,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2481 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,703,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $30,440,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.

Carlos Ulberg eyes former UFC title challenger Khalil Rountree as potential next opponent

As he continues his ascent in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, Carlos Ulberg believes Khalil Rountree makes sense as a next test.

[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] wants to put himself in position to fight for the UFC’s light heavyweight title, and sees a matchup against another former title challenger as a logical next opponent.

At UFC Fight Night 248 at Galaxy Arena in Macau, Ulberg (11-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) picked up a unanimous decision over Volkan Oezdemir, who fought for the division’s title against Daniel Cormier in 2018. Next, Ulberg wants a crack at a more recent title challenger, Khalil Rountree, who fought Alex Pereira at UFC 307 last month.

“Obviously Khalil had that opportunity last time, so I think for the next step, my next step would be up against a guy like Khalil Rountree,” Ulberg told UFC.com in a post-fight interview.

Ulberg has won seven straight fights in the UFC’s 205-pound division. He’s No. 10 in the promotion’s light heavyweight rankings, but will move up and at the very least, swap spots with No. 8 Oezdemir (20-8 MMA, 8-7 UFC) after Saturday’s victory in Macau.

“Black Jag” knows there’s more work to be done before he can call for a title shot, and sees Rountree as a solid test. Besides a specific opponent, Ulberg also has a location in mind for his next potential fight too. The UFC visits Sydney for UFC 312 in February, which would be like a home game for the New Zealand-born fighter.

“It would be nice,” Ulberg said. “It’s always nice to compete in front of our own fans and people back home, or closer to home, anyway. If anyone else closer to the title would be ready to fight me in that short space of time, but yeah (I would want to fight in Sydney).”

[lawrence-related id=2788607,2788630,2788651]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.

Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 248

Will the judges be needed in this light heavyweight clash between Volkan Oezdemir and Carlos Ulberg at UFC Macau?

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] and [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] meet Saturday on the UFC Fight Night 248 main card at Galaxy Arena in Macau. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 4-1
UFC main cards, 2024: 99-90-3

Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg UFC Fight Night 248 preview

Oezdemir (20-7 MMA, 8-6 UFC) will look to keep the momentum going after back-to-back wins that ended in the first round. Last September, Oezdemir submitted Bogdan Guskov and followed that victory up with an opening-round knockout of Johnny Walker in June. … Ulberg (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) enters as one of the hottest fighters on the entire roster as a winner of six straight with five finishes. In his first fight of 2024, Ulberg stopped Alonzo Menifield in just 12 seconds.

Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg UFC Fight Night 248 expert pick, prediction

Filling out the main card is a light heavyweight attraction between Oezdemir and Ulberg.

One of the more tested products at 205 pounds, Oezdemir will be looking to test the potential of the up-and-coming Ulberg.

Although part of me wanted to take a flier on Oezdemir for the upset, I suspect that we get a slow and somewhat sloppy affair that favors the range and athleticism of Ulberg.

Whether it is because he is a City Kickboxing fighter or the fact that he’s had to spend a considerable time imitating Alex Pereira for Israel Adesanya, Ulberg seems much more composed at range while looking to walk opponents into his patent left hook.

Ulberg also showed off an improved gas tank and grappling skills in his fight with Da Woon Jung – something that will likely serve him well here if Oezdemir tries to make things ugly.

The pick is for Ulberg to edge out a narrow win on the scorecards.

Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg UFC Fight Night 248 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the fighter from New Zealand, listing Ulberg -265 and Oezdemir +200 via FanDuel.

Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg UFC Fight Night 248 start time, how to watch

As the co-main event, Oezdemir and Ulberg are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 6:40 a.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.

Volkan Oezdemir plans on showing Carlos Ulberg a different level at UFC Fight Night 248

Volkan Oezdemir wants to give Carlos Ulberg a taste of the upper echelon at light heavyweight.

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] wants to give [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] a taste of the upper echelon at light heavyweight.

Oezdemir (20-7 MMA, 8-6 UFC) takes on rising contender Ulberg (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 248 (ESPN+) main card at Galaxy Arena in Macau.

City Kickboxing’s Ulberg has won six straight, but former UFC title challenger Oezdemir expects to present a different challenge for him.

“He’s riding good momentum of course, but he also fought lesser-level competition,” Oezdemir said at UFC Fight Night 248 media day. “The only ranked guy that he fought was (Alonzo) Menifield, who is right now out of the rankings.

“It’s a different world. There is a different level. This is the highest of the levels. This is the UFC – of course everybody’s strong in the UFC. But within the UFC, there’s also levels. This is also why I’m going to show him on Saturday.”

Oezdemir admits he was initially aiming higher than Ulberg, but after being told that top-ranked contenders weren’t available, he just wanted to compete so he can continue building momentum after back-to-back first-round finishes of Bogdan Guskov and Johnny Walker.

“I was OK because first I wanted to fight up the rankings, and my goal was to fight Jamahal Hill or Jan Blachowicz, but both guys were injured,” Oezdemir said. “They told me I had to wait quarter 1 or quarter 2 of 2025, and you know my nickname, ‘No Time.’ So, I had to be active, I had to stay on track.”

Anthony Smith previously mentioned that if Magomed Ankalaev picked up a lackluster win at UFC 308, Oezdemir had a big opportunity to emerge as No. 1 contender with a win over Ulberg.

“This fight is going to be a fast-paced fight for sure,” Oezdemir said. “It’s going to be a banger. This is going to be a must-see fight for the fans. We are both very strong and athletic guys looking for the finish, so of course this is not a fight you want to miss because I’m going to go there and get my hand raised.

“He’s riding a six-fight winning streak, so he’s like a hot prospect right now. But I’ve also been knocking (out) and submitting top-competition guys. With a great performance on Saturday, it is going to bring me close to a title shot. I think this is one of the conversations we’re going to have because a great performance, a great finish on Saturday, will bring the eyes also on this potential matchup.”

[lawrence-related id=2777810,2787866,2788236,2787994]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.

Carlos Ulberg hopes to make case to challenge Alex Pereira with UFC Macau win

Carlos Ulberg represents a potential fresh opponent for UFC champion Alex Pereira, but has to beat Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Macau first.

[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] is not rushing his way toward a title shot, but knows beating Volkan Oezdemir on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 248 would go a long way in enhancing his case.

Ulberg (9-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) enters the matchup with Oezdemir (20-7 MMA, 8-6 UFC), which takes place at Galaxy Arena in Macau (ESPN+) riding a six-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight, with the past five coming by stoppage. The City Kickboxing product is riding high on confidence, and with champion Alex Pereira steamrolling the division, it’s hard to ignore the potential significance of a victory.

“My time will come, and I know it’s not far,” Ulberg said at UFC Fight Night 248 media day. “This fight here is no different. He’s an experienced fighter. I get a good win over Oezdemir, it catapults me high anyway, so in this division, at any point, we can be called up for the title. I’m not surprised either way. Anything can happen, and I’m ready for anything to happen next year.”

Ulberg is a fresh face to the title conversation, but Oezdemir has been there. He challenged then-champion Daniel Cormier for the title in 2020 and since then has been trying to build himself back up to that same position. With back-to-back wins, Oezdemir is looking in solid form, and Ulberg isn’t lost on the fact he will be coming into their fight with great motivation, as well.

“He’s an experienced fighter,” Ulberg said. “He’s experienced in the UFC. After his third fight, he fought for the title against Cormier. I feel like he is primed and he is ready to shoot up for that next title shot as well. We’re in the same state right now where we’re putting ourselves towards the title. I think for himself, he would think if he’s going to get the win, he’s going to go for the title after this as well.”

On paper, this is the biggest test of Ulberg’s career. However, he’s not intimidated by the moment. He thinks he’s been prepared well to deliver – now he just needs to go out and execute.

“I trust myself that I’ve got myself this far,” Ulberg said. “Everything is going to fall into place, and I’m just going to do what I’ve prepared myself to do at this point.”

[lawrence-related id=2787991,2788236,2787994]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.

Carlos Ulberg studying UFC champ Alex Pereira: ‘I’m coming up, and soon I’ll get my chance’

Carlos Ulberg thinks his chance to challenge UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira could come sooner than expected.

[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] thinks his chance to challenge UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] could come sooner than expected.

Ulberg (10-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) takes on former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir (20-7 MMA, 8-6 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 248 Nov. 23 from Galaxy Arena in Macau, China.

Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) is fresh off his third light heavyweight title defense – a brutal fourth-round finish of Khalil Rountree in the UFC 307 headliner. A former kickboxer himself, Ulberg wasn’t surprised to see Rountree pose problems for Pereira.

“I had my money on Rountree,” Ulberg told Sky Sport New Zealand. “I thought Rountree would do well, given he’s quite explosive and it’ll give a different look to Alex Pereira. But as the rounds went on, I think Pereira came back and he stuck to his game plan, which was to tire him out and make use of the explosive power Rountree was using and over-using.”

Watching No. 8 ranked Rountree get a title shot, Ulberg won’t rule out the possibility of getting his chance with a win over Oezdemir.

“I’ve been studying Alex for a while now. He’s at the top and he’s the prime right now,” Ulberg said. “He’s definitely someone that everyone’s keeping an eye on, so knowing that he’s got a high fight IQ, it is always good to sit back and see how he operates in the octagon.

“I’m coming up, and soon I’ll get my chance. …  Once I get through Oezdemir, which is going to be a hard task for sure, it’s free rein from there and it’ll give me the opportunity to go for the light heavyweight title. As you’ve seen the No. 8 who’s just fought for the light heavyweight title, at any given time we’re going to be called up for that.”

Ulberg has some adversity to deal with before stepping into the cage against Oezdemir. The City Kickboxing standout revealed that he broke his toe six weeks’ out of his fight, but has no intentions of pulling out.

“I just broke my toe yesterday in sparring and didn’t realize that I’d broken it until doing my sit-ups and seeing it was facing the other way,” Ulberg said. “It’s just going through all that pain and struggle, and doing it all over again the next day. So, until then, it’s just doing what I need to do, what’s been working in my favor in the past, and just trying to keep to the same formula really.”

[lawrence-related id=2743505,2777524,2777198,2777202]

UFC Macau adds Yan Xiaonan vs. Tabatha Ricci, Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg, return of Wang Cong

The upcoming UFC Fight Night 248 event in Macau on Nov. 23 is filling out with the addition of multiple matchups.

UFC has announced multiple fights for its upcoming event in Macau.

UFC Fight Night 248 takes place Nov. 23 at Galaxy Arena in Macau, featuring a big bantamweight matchup between former 135-pound champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] and former flyweight champ [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag].

Wednesday, the promotion officially announced multiple new fights on social media for the return event to China.

A UFC-ranked top 10 matchup in the women’s strawweight division has been added. Former title challenger [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] will face [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag].

Xiaonan (17-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) returns to action for the first time since her title challenge loss against Zhang Weili at UFC 300. Ricci (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) enters on a two-fight winning streak, fresh off a unanimous decision win over Angela Hill at UFC on ESPN 62.

Another UFC-ranked top 10 bout is also on the card, this one in the light heavyweight division, between former title challenger [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] and [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag].

Oezdemir (20-7 MMA, 8-6 UFC) is on a two-fight winning streak, both by way of early stoppage. His last performance was a devastating knockout of Johnny Walker at UFC on ABC 6. Ulberg (10-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) was a part of the UFC 303 fight shuffle, but was unable to compete. He will now enter his second fight of the year after a 12-second knockout of Alonzo Menifield.

In addition, Wang Cong will compete in her second UFC bout, taking on Gabriella Fernandes.

Cong (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made waves in her promotional debut by flattening Victoria Leonardo in the first round. “The Joker” holds a kickboxing win over current UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.

With the additions, the current UFC Fight Night 248 lineup includes:

  • Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
  • Yan Xiaonan vs. Tabatha Ricci
  • Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Jose Ochoa
  • Carlos Hernandez vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel
  • Wang Cong vs. Gabriella Fernandes
  • Ozzy Diaz vs. Zhang Mingyang
  • Xiaocan Feng vs. Ming Shi – “Road to UFC” strawweight final
  • Dong Hoon Choi vs. Kiru Sahota – “Road to UFC” flyweight final
  • Balgyn Jenisuly vs. Su Young You – “Road to UFC” bantamweight final
  • Bin Xie vs. Kangjie Zhu – “Road to UFC” featherweight final