Background
The UFC heads to Perth this weekend as Carlos Ulberg and Dominick Reyes take center stage in a huge light heavyweight affair.
Ulberg comes into the bout off the back of seven consecutive wins, the longest active streak in the light heavyweight division, while Reyes is also impressing, securing three victories in a row.
After earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, Ulberg has been on a warpath, despite a debut loss to Kennedy Nzechukwu. Victories over Volkan Oezdemir and, most recently, Jan Blachowicz put him firmly in the title picture, and a win here would surely grant him a shot.
As for Reyes, many thought the writing was on the wall for his UFC career after suffering four consecutive defeats between 2020 and 2022; however, the 35-year-old’s fortunes have soon changed.
Dominant first-round wins over Dustin Jacoby and Nikita Krylov, paired with the second-round TKO of Anthony Smith, put the ‘Devastator’ firmly back in the title picture, and a win over the Australian Ulberg could make his dreams come true…
Fighting Styles
As with many fights in the light heavyweight division, this bout could be an interesting stylistic encounter, with both fighters very efficient strikers.
Ulberg has a strong kickboxing background and managed to claim two King of the Ring championships before entering the world of MMA. He holds an impressive 19-2 record in kickboxing and secured 12 knockouts.
Inspired by his kickboxing career, Ulberg’s most dangerous trait in the octagon is his ability to anticipate strikes and counterstrike with scary efficiency. His fight against Blachowicz showcased this, as he was able to connect with some deadly left hooks whenever his opponent rushed in.
As for Reyes, his striking also creates the base for his fighting style, with a background in both boxing and kickboxing allowing him to time strikes with precision and secure knockout victories.
Despite being a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Reyes prefers to keep fights standing up in order to utilize his supreme striking skills. This was shown in his most recent bout against Krylov, where he finished the fight with a huge counter left hook that downed his opponent.
Although Reyes often prefers to keep his fights standing up, it is possible that he will attempt to take down Ulberg at some point on Saturday, with the possibility that both men could cancel each other out with their striking abilities.
Future
The light heavyweight title is currently held by Magomed Ankalaev, who is set to defend it in a rematch against Alex Pereira at UFC 320 in two weeks’ time.
A win for Pereira could set up a trilogy fight between the two, but an Ankalaev victory would surely grant the winner of this intriguing encounter a title shot.
Elsewhere in the division, number two-ranked Jiri Prochazka is still in the title picture and is scheduled to face Khalil Rountree Jr on the UFC 320 undercard, who will also be after another title fight after previously being denied by Pereira.
Once you add the likes of Jamahal Hill and Aleksandar Rakic, you have a highly competitive division, but one that both Ulberg and Reyes will be hoping to climb to the top of.
Prediction
This fight looks very difficult to predict on paper, with both fighters displaying extreme confidence and both having the ability to finish fights very quickly.
However, I am going to edge towards Carlos Ulberg securing his eighth consecutive victory and becoming the number one contender for the light heavyweight title.
Ulberg doesn’t often overexert in his fights and therefore is difficult to hit in counter exchanges. I believe he will keep the fight at a distance and slow Reyes down with leg kicks and jabs, waiting for the right moment to connect with that devastating left hook to the ‘devastator’.
Reyes will be searching for opportunities to attack the body from his southpaw stance, but I don’t think he will lure Ulberg into overextending like his three previous opponents have.
Carlos Ulberg takes on Dominick Reyes on Saturday, 27 September, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
My name is Jack Latham.
I am 20 years old and am currently studying Sports Journalism at the University of Chester.
I became interested in combat sports, particularly MMA, in the lockdown period and have followed it closely ever since.
I have previously created my own website titled ‘Combat Corner,’ where I produce MMA content.