Carlos Ulberg has issued a calm but unmistakable warning ahead of the biggest fight of his career, declaring order will defeat chaos when he throws down with Jiri Prochazka for UFC gold this weekend.
Ulberg, riding an eight-fight tear through the light heavyweight division, steps into the spotlight at UFC 327 against one of the sport’s most unpredictable figures – a man as known for his samurai philosophy as he is for his wild highlight-reel knockouts.
PPV: UFC 327 Prochazka vs Ulberg | SUN 12 APRIL 11AM AEST | The UFC’s undisputed light heavyweight championship will be on the line, when Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg meet for the vacant title at UFC 327 | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
But while Prochazka thrives in chaos, “Black Jag” reckons that’s exactly where he holds the upper hand.
“Order beats chaos when chaos puts himself in bad positions,” Ulberg told Fox Sports Australia.
“And order puts chaos in check.
“This is chess, not checkers.”
The 35-year-old Kiwi superstar is certainly one of the most polished strikers at 205 pounds, sharpening his tools alongside elite teammates at Auckland’s City Kickboxing, like Israel Adesanya.
And it’s a style he believes is perfectly suited to dismantle Prochazka’s all-action approach.
“I do see holes in his game,” he said.
“I watch a lot of tape, and I’ve always kept an eye on Jiri because I’ve always known that there could be a possibility of us crossing paths.
“He’s at the top so it was just a matter of time before we were going to meet.”
“There always has been, and there always will be with other fighters, different holes that you can use to your advantage. And [with Prochazka] there are a few.”
Ulberg added that fight fans are yet to see his full arsenal.
“We’re hoping to open the gates a little more, because there is so much more that the world has not seen of me, and there could be opportunities for me to use that.”
Asked about Prochazka’s famously unorthodox prep – from training in isolation to sessions in freezing forests – Ulberg was unfazed.
“Hey, whatever. It’s got him to this point, right? It’s got him to where he is,” he said.
“He’s still there, and I think it works for him.”
But he was quick to add it won’t matter much when the cage door shuts.
“I respect the guys that are at their top level, but you know, when you go in there, and you step inside the Octagon with me, and you’re looking at me face to face. That’s when you’re really going to feel it.
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“You’re really going to feel the pressure then.”
Prochazka’s only UFC losses have come against Brazilian superstar Alex Pereira – a blueprint Ulberg says he has studied closely.
“There are things I have seen in those fights,” says Ulberg.
“I have taken what I needed to from every fight that Jiri’s had.
“But Alex is a different fighter, so it’s hard to really take too much from it. It’s kind of just up to me on that, on the night when I get in there.
“We are going to look at each other from across the Octagon and and, and we get it on.”
While the build up during Fight Week has been respectful, Prochazka has told media that he has seen “a lot of spaces” in the Kiwi’s game and he believes he will not only win, but get the stoppage.
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Ulberg’s response?
“I see the same thing,” says Ulberg.
“But with me winning.”