Carlos Ulberg is for real.
The New Zealander opened UFC 281 with a stunning first-round knockout of Nicolae Negumereanu (13-2), clipping him behind the ear with a left hand to send Negumereanu crashing to the mat. Ulberg (6-1) followed up with two more hard punches to force the stoppage.
Watch Ulberg’s impressive TKO above.
Ulberg looked like he was on his way to winning Round 1 before the finish as he controlled the distance and landed clean jabs on the aggressive Negumereanu. When Negumereanu stepped in for a strike, Ulberg landed a counter jab and then followed with a more powerful shot that led to ending sequence.
With the win, Ulberg has now won three straight fights since losing in his UFC debut in March 2021. He is one of four City Kickboxing fighters competing on Saturday’s card, a roster that includes UFC middleweight champion and event headliner Israel Adesanya.
Negumereanu sees a four-fight win streak snapped, a streak that was second-longest in the UFC light heavyweight division behind Magomed Ankalaev (9). His UFC record falls to 4-2.