Carlos Ulberg has won nine straight UFC bouts. |
Getty/UFC
Jiri
Prochazka is one of the most unorthodox fighters in the sport,
which can make game planning something of an interesting
process.
The was the challenge Carlos
Ulberg faced as he prepared to face Prochazka for the vacant
light heavyweight title in the UFC 327
main event on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami. At the same
time, the City Kickboxing standout has been eyeing Prochazka as a
potential opponent for quite some time as he made his way toward
the top of the 205-pound division.
“There’s no real preparing for a particular fighter like Jiri. He’s
very unpredictable,” Ulberg told the UFC. “We do have some looks that can give us
what we need for this particular fight. It was a short notice to
take this fight on, especially it being a world title fight, five
rounds.
“But we’ve been preparing for this fight for years now. We’ve
seen it happen. We’ve seen that Jiri could be a possible opponent,
whether it be for the title or not. He would be someone in my
path. We’ve always been ready. We know we’re ready. When
we go in there, it’s just about getting the job done and handling
business.”
Ulberg vs. Prochazka became a reality once Alex
Pereira elected to relinquish the light heavyweight strap to
pursue championship gold at heavyweight. “Black Jag” has won nine
straight Octagon appearances since dropping his promotional debut
in March 2021, so he knew he would likely be in the mix for a shot
at the vacant belt.
“There was always the word around town, right, with Pereira
possibly moving up. And that’s been the word for a while now,”
Ulberg said. “And I always thought that that was going to happen.
So we had to always think that we could either have Jiri, [Magomed]
Ankalaev, or someone else that could possibly be put in that
picture for the title shot.
“I think with that fight that Peirera had against Ankalaev, he got
the win. And I think the best thing for him was to move up
possibly get that third title in a different division. So we were
open to anything in the division, whether it be Pereira, Jiri, or
Ankalaev.”
Soak in the Energy
Ulberg and his team arrived in Florida early in part to get a feel
for the atmosphere and the setting where he will vie for a
championship.
“This is a big fight for me, the world title to become the champion
of the world. So I’m just going to treat it that way. It’s sacred,”
Ulberg said.
“It’s what it is. And that’s how I like to do it, is spend a bit of
time on my own as well, just to really soak it in and just soak in
the energy, soak in everything that’s happening. But at the same
time, don’t let it overwhelm me, because that’s where it gets
tricky. And I just think it’s keeping everything basic,
trying not to reinvent the wheel, really just becoming it.”
Ultimately, Ulberg is confident that he has done what is necessary
to be ready for the moment. It’s more than just the current camp —
it’s an accumulation of years of training and preparation.
“That’s where it all comes from is all that visualization will come
into fruition when you know you’re honest with yourself and you
know you’ve done the work,” he said. “And this is not just this
camp, this is the years of work, the years of struggle, the years
of sacrifice, everything that you’ve put your ass to work and to
make sure that you know that when you’re put into this position
that nobody can deny you.”