Carlos Ulberg books fight in Macao with a view to UFC title fight

Carlos Ulberg plans to use his light heavyweight showdown with Volkan Ozdemir as a springboard to a UFC title fight. He is convinced that a clear victory over the Russian would give him an almost irresistible argument for the belt.

City kickboxing star Ulberg [10-1, 7 KO] meets Özdemir [20-7, 13 KO] at UFC Fight Night Macao on November 23, the UFC announced on Thursday after the New Zealander was forced to withdraw from his fight against Anthony Smith at UFC 303.

An injury sustained during training initially proved to be a frustrating setback, but given that he was recovering from a brief turnaround following a 12-second knockout of Alonzo Menifield, Ulberg was able to take something positive from this brief moment of delay.

“The injury set me back, obviously we had to pull out of the last fight,” he told ESPN. “It was a step back but also an opportunity to refocus and refine some things and I feel like I'm on the road to recovery now.”

“I'm stronger. What are we now, nine weeks before the fight? I've put on a little bit of muscle and strength and I just feel like a powerhouse now. We're a powerhouse. We've got a little bit of speed and a little bit of power and we're ready to show the world.”

However, Ulberg is aware that he will face a challenge from Oezdemir, who is ranked No. 8 in the light heavyweight division by ESPN, as the Russian had his own shot at the title in 2018.

Özdemir has just suffered a first-round KO himself, but the 35-year-old not only has a devastating striking game, but is also well equipped on the ground.

“He's more versatile, has extensive kickboxing experience and is good at ground fighting,” Ulberg said of his opponent. “He's someone nobody wants to fight at light heavyweight, and when we got the call we thought, 'Okay, let's go.'”

“But we really want to beat him because he has made a rapid rise in the light heavyweight division. When he started in the UFC, he had three wins and then he fought Daniel Cormier for the title, which he unfortunately didn't win.

“But he's fought his way back up and continues to fight his way up. He's knocked people out in the first round, so he knows how to finish the fight, and like I said, he's got a good ground game.

“So he's definitely going to try to take me down and we're preparing for anything. He's got a lot of power. But I've got a lot of power and without the right timing there's no speed or power – I'm trying to take him out early.”

While Alex Pereira has established himself as the clear UFC light heavyweight champion, the division is almost in flux under the Brazilian, as numerous fighters have what it takes to beat any other opponent on a good day.

Ulberg believes a win – his seventh in a row – over Ozdemir would only underline his place in this group and then give him the opportunity to face Perreira himself or whoever might hold the title next year.

“The mindset is still the same, we're going straight and we're ready for the gold,” he told ESPN. “In a fight like the one against Oezdemir, this fight, he's someone who has a lot of power, he's got the experience and he's a big name, so he's someone we definitely want to beat.”

“We want to get a very good win over him, knock him out and then challenge for the title. [shot]; we're in that division right now where we can be offered the title at any time. It's an exciting time to be in the light heavyweight division of the UFC and I feel like we're on the verge of it, we're undecided and ready to jump over and fight for the 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 that we've put it all together, we're pretty confident.”