Carlos Ulberg discusses Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. fight, reveals he's "been studying Alex for a while now"
Carlos Ulberg recently offered his thoughts on the Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. title clash. 'Poatan' successfully retained his light heavyweight crown against Rountree Jr. in a dominant performance last weekend at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
During an interview with Sky Sport NZ, 'Black Jag' revealed that he initially expected Rountree Jr. to overpower Pereira with his power and aggressive style. However, he was somewhat surprised to witness the reigning champion grow stronger and take control as the fight wore on.
"I had my money on Rountree. I thought Rountree would do well, given he’s quite explosive, and it’ll give Alex Pereira a different look. But as the rounds went on, I think Pereira came back, and he stuck to his game plan, which was to tire him out and make use of the explosive power Rountree was using and over-using."
Ulberg further added that as he climbs the ranks in the UFC’s 205-pound division, he’s been keeping a close watch on 'Poatan' and his exploits in the octagon:
"I’ve been studying Alex for a while now. He’s at the top, and he’s at the prime right now. He’s definitely someone that everyone’s keeping an eye on, so knowing that he’s got a high fight IQ, it is always good to sit back and see how he operates in the octagon."
Check out Carlos Ulberg's comments below (8:28):
Black Jag' is preparing to face off against former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Macau. The upcoming Fight Night event is set for Nov. 23 at the Galaxy Arena in Macau, China.
When did Carlos Ulberg last compete in the UFC?
Carlos Ulberg is set to make his return to the octagon after a six-month hiatus. His last appearance was at UFC St. Louis in May, where he delivered an explosive knockout victory over Alonzo Menifield in just 12 seconds.
'Black Jag' earned his place in the UFC with a first-round knockout victory over Bruno Oliveira at 'Dana White's Contender Series' in November 2020. However, his octagon debut didn't unfold as expected, as he faced his first and only career loss to date against Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 259 in March 2021. Since then, Ulberg has been on a remarkable six-fight win streak, with five of those victories coming by way of finish.