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Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.au
Carlos Ulberg is planning to use his light heavyweight showdown with Volkan Oezdemir as a springboard to a UFC title shot, believing a statement win over the Swiss will give him a near irresistible case to push for the belt.
City Kickboxing star Ulberg [10-1, 7 KO] will face Oezdemir [20-7, 13 KO] at UFC Fight Night Macao on Nov. 23, the UFC announced on Thursday, after the New Zealander was forced to withdraw from a fight against Anthony Smith at UFC 303.
An injury suffered in training proved an originally frustrating setback, but given he was backing up from a short turnaround following a 12-second KO of Alonzo Menifield, Ulberg also found the positives in the momentary speedbump.
“The injury put me a step back, we had to pull out of the last fight obviously,” he told ESPN. “It was a step back but also an opportunity to recalibrate and just finetune some things and I feel like I am on a good mend now.
“I’m stronger, what are we now nine weeks out from the fight, I’ve put on a bit of muscle and a bit of strength and I just feel like a powerhouse now. We’re a powerhouse; we’ve got a bit of speed and a bit of power and we’re ready to show it off to the world.”
Ulberg is however in no confusion over the challenge that lies ahead in Oezdemir, ESPN’s No. 8 ranked light heavyweight, with the Swiss having already had his own shot at the title back in 2018.
Oezdemir is coming off a first-round KO of his own, but while the 35-year-old possesses a devastating striking game he is also well equipped on the ground.
“He’s a lot more well-rounded, he’s got an extensive kickboxing background, he has a big ground game,” Ulberg said of his opponent. “He’s someone who nobody wants to face in the light heavyweight division and so when we got that call, we were like ‘okay, let’s do it’.
“But he’s someone we definitely want to get the win over because he had a rapid rise in the light heavyweight division; when he started in the UFC he had three wins and then he fought for the title, against Daniel Cormier, and he fell short of that one unfortunately.
“But he made his way back up and is making his way up again, he’s been knocking people out in the first round, so he knows how to get the finish and, like I said, he’s got a good ground game.
“So he’s definitely going to try and take me down and we’re preparing for anything; he possesses a lot of power. But I possess a lot of power and without the timing there is no speed and power — I’m looking to put him out early.”
While Alex Pereira has established himself as the clear UFC light heavyweight champion, the division is almost in a state of flux beneath the Brazilian, with a number of fighters having the tools to beat any other opponent on their day.
Ulberg feels a win – which would be his seventh in succession — over Oezdemir would only underline his place in that group and should then present the opportunity where he gets his own shot at Pereira or whoever may hold the title next year.
“The mindset is still the same, we’re heading straight ahead and ready for that gold,” he told ESPN. “With a fight like Oezdemir, this fight, he’s someone who possesses a lot of power, he’s got the experience in his hands and he’s a big name, so he’s someone that we definitely want to get the win over.
“We want to get a very good win over him, put him out, and then we ask for that title [shot]; we’re in this division right now where at any given point we can be offered the title. It’s an exciting time to be in the light heavyweight division of the UFC and I feel like we’re just on the brink of it, we’re on the fence and ready to jump over and fight for that title.
“Everything [the injury] happens for a reason, but like I said it gave me the time and opportunity to just sit back and reevaluate some things, and now we’ve put everything together we’re quite confident now.”