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Check out the best photos from Carlos Ulberg’s first-round knockout win over Ihor Potieria at UFC on ABC 4 in Charlotte.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag]’s first-round knockout win over [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag] at UFC on ABC 4 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. (Photos by Jim Dedmon, USA TODAY Sports)
Carlos Ulberg’s rise in the light heavyweight division continued Saturday with a finish he likely won’t soon forget.
[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag]’s rise in the light heavyweight division continued Saturday with a finish he likely won’t soon forget.
Ulberg (8-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) took out [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) with a TKO at the 2:09 mark of the opening round. He clipped Potieria with a left hook, then decimated him on the mat for the finish.
Their fight was part of the UFC on ABC 4 main card at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.
Ulberg landed a left hook and Potieria hit the canvas. It took Ulberg a fraction of a second to jump on Potieria with punches. Potieria covered up, and after a few seconds Ulberg walked away – even before the referee waved the fight off.
In essence, Ulberg stopped the fight on his own. By the time he turned around to realize it hadn’t been stopped, the ref knew it was done, too.
Ulberg now has won four straight fights after a loss in his promotional debut.
Check out the finish below:
That’s 4️⃣ straight for Carlos Ulberg.
Who would you like to see him fight next? pic.twitter.com/VGB3AphFDu
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) May 13, 2023
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ABC 4 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 4.
Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ABC 4 main card in Charlotte, N.C.
| Rozenstruik vs. Almeida |
Smith vs. Walker |
Garry vs. Rodriguez |
Potieria vs. Ulberg |
Means vs. Morono |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 66-49 |
 Almeida (77%) |
 Walker (50.1%) |
 Garry (61%) |
 Ulberg (83%) |
 Morono (77%) |
| Matt Erickson @MattE 75-40 |
Almeida |
Walker |
Garry |
Ulberg |
Morono |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 73-42 |
Almeida |
Walker |
Garry |
Ulberg |
Morono |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 71-44 |
Almeida |
 Smith |
 Rodriguez |
Ulberg |
Morono |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 70-45 |
Almeida |
Smith |
Garry |
Ulberg |
Morono |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 70-45 |
Almeida |
Smith |
Garry |
Ulberg |
 Means |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 68-47  2014 Champion |
Almeida |
Smith |
Rodriguez |
Ulberg |
Morono |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway -65-50 2018, 2022 Champion |
Almeida |
Smith |
Rodriguez |
Ulberg |
Morono |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 65-50 |
 Rozenstruik |
Walker |
Garry |
Ulberg |
Means |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 63-52 |
Almeida |
Walker |
Garry |
Ulberg |
Means |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 62-53 |
Almeida |
Walker |
Garry |
Ulberg |
Morono |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 62-53 2017 Champion |
Rozenstruik |
Smith |
Garry |
 Potieria |
Morono |
The UFC is back on the road this week for a rare daytime event in North Carolina, and heavyweights top the lineup.
UFC on ABC 4 takes place Saturday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. The main card airs on ABC at 3 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+ that start early at 11:30 a.m.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at heavyweight. Almeida is more than a 5-1 favorite at some sportsbooks, and he’s got a big lead in the picks from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, who have it as a blowout for Almeida at 9-2.
In the co-feature, the closest fight on the main card from a betting perspective is between former light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (36-17 MMA, 11-7 UFC) and [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC). The fight nearly is a pick’em at the betting window, and it’s close with our staff members, too, who have Smith with the smallest possible edge at 6-5.
Also on the main card, up-and-coming Irish welterweight [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) puts his unbeaten record on the line against his most accomplished opponent yet, [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC). Garry is about a -250 favorite and he has a big 8-3 picks lead.
[autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) meets [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in a light heavyweight fight that has Ulberg as a big betting favorite at -450. He’s got a near-unanimous lead in the picks, too – just one of our staff members has Potieria in an upset.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Tim Means[/autotag] (32-14-1 MMA, 14-11 UFC) takes on [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag] (22-8 MMA, 11-5 UFC) at welterweight. Morono is more than a 2-1 favorite and he has a big 8-3 lead in the picks.
In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Almeida (77 percent), Walker (50.1 percent), Garry (61 percent), Ulberg (83 percent) and Morono (77 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 4.
[pickup_prop id=”33376″]
Check out the numbers behind UFC on ABC 4, where Matt Brown can tie one of the most prestigious records possible under the UFC banner.
The UFC returns to Charlotte, N.C., for the first time in more than five years Saturday with UFC on ABC 4, which takes place at Spectrum Center with a main card that airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
A matchup of ranked heavyweights is featured in the main event. [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) will look to add another spectacular knockout to his highlight reel when he takes on the surging [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who has never had a decision victory during his career.
The card is also littered with a number of other octagon notables, and for more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC on ABC 4.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from March 27-April 2.
Rising light heavyweight contenders Carlos Ulberg and Ihor Potieria will meet in May.
Rising light heavyweight contenders [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] and [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag] will meet in May.
Ulberg (6-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) takes on Potieria (19-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at a UFC event on May 13 that does not yet have an announced venue or location. Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Tuesday. They asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
The matchup was first reported by MMA Mania.
Ulberg has won three straight, including two by knockout. The City Kickboxing fighter is coming off a first-round knockout of Nicolae Negumereanu at UFC 281 this past November.
Potieria has split his first two UFC appearances. After he was stopped by Negumereanu in his promotional debut, the Dana White’s Contender Series signee rebounded with a first-round knockout of former light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua at UFC 283 in January.
With the addition, the lineup for the UFC Fight Night event on May 13 includes:
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]
William Knight wants Carlos Ulberg after UFC Fight Night 219.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]William Knight[/autotag] wants [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] after UFC Fight Night 219.
Knight and Ulberg have gone back-and-forth on social media, and Knight hopes that fight gets booked. In June 2022, Ulberg picked up a first-round TKO of Tafon Nchukwi, who stopped Knight at CFFC 80 in 2019.
But first, Knight (11-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) needs to get past [autotag]Marcin Prachnio[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 2-4 UFC) on Saturday’s main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
I'm a man of no fear 🇯🇲
— William Knight (@Knightmare205) July 21, 2022
“Carlos Ulberg, (Israel) Adesanya’s teammate – he beat an opponent I lost to years ago, which to me is still controversy because I felt like it was an early stoppage,” Knight told reporters at media day Wednesday. “I wasn’t hurt or nothing. The second he beat this guy, he started running his mouth on Twitter. He tagged me in some sh*t, and to be realistic, that fight needs to happen.
“So after Saturday, I’m going to run through this guy. That’s who I’m after. He ran his mouth and he needs to put his money where his mouth is. I’m here for that fight because when I called him out, it wasn’t, ‘Oh, it’s June … It’s this … It’s this.’ Now he caught a little ‘W,’ and now he wants to run his mouth. I’m ready for it.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788 tag=420038866]
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 219.
The night wasn’t perfect for the City Kickboxing crew from New Zealand, but Carlos Ulberg got UFC 281 started in a nice way.
NEW YORK – [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] beat Nicolae Negumereanu with a first-round knockout Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Take a look inside the fight with Ulberg, who moved to 3-0 in 2022, including two straight by first-round knockout.
Check out the numbers to come out of an insane UFC 281, where Alex Pereira’s title win put him in the record books alongside Brock Lesnar.
UFC 281 took place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, and with 11 finishes in 14 fights, including two title changes, it proved to be among the best cards of the year.
The main event saw [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) earn another combat victory over [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC), but this time with the highest stakes imaginable when he claimed the middleweight title with a fifth-round TKO.
The co-headliner saw [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) begin a second reign as women’s strawweight champion when she submitted [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) with a choke in the second round.
For more on the numbers behind both title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 281.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 281 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $332,500.
NEW YORK – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 281 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $332,500.
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 281 took place at Madison Square Garden. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.
The full UFC 281 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]: $42,000
[autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag]: $42,000
[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Claudio Puelles[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ottman Azaitar[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Silvana Gomez Juarez[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Michael Trizano[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Nicolae Negumereanu[/autotag]: $6,000
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 2011 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 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $7,554,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $13,732,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.
