'He's going to be the light heavyweight champion' - Israel Adesanya tips his teammate for UFC glory
Israel Adesanya holds City Kickboxing teammate Carlos Ulberg in high regard. During an episode of the UFC 259 Embedded: Vlog series, Israel Adesanya expressed his frank opinion about Ulberg and predicted that Black Jag will eventually ascend to the UFC light heavyweight champion's position.
"He's the f**king man and he's going to be the (UFC) light heavyweight champion in his career. That's what I can tell you, legit. Yeah, he's the f**king man and he's perfect for this sh*t," Israel Adesanya said.
Carlos Ulberg is Israel Adesanya's main training partner for Stylebender's title bout against UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. Ulberg will fight Kennedy Nzechukwu in the early prelims of the fight card. The event is scheduled to take place on March 6, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Can Carlos Ulberg replicate Israel Adesanya's success?
30-year-old Carlos Ulberg is an undefeated prospect from New Zealand. Ulberg made his way into the UFC through Dana White's contender series with a vicious first-round knockout win over fellow contender Bruno Oliveira in November 2020. Similar to Israel Adesanya, Carlos Ulberg is a dynamic striker with a strong kickboxing background and the four knockout wins stand as a testimony to that.
Carlos Ulberg is a relatively unknown name for MMA fans due to his inexperience. Although his debut dates all the way back to 2011, the New Zealander has only five fights on his record. However, this can change quickly if he can consistently perform at the level displayed in the contender series.
Whether Ulberg will be able to achieve the level of success that his teammates Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski have achieved is difficult to say at this point. But Black Jag hails from a gym that has revolutionized MMA striking in recent times. City Kickboxing and coach Eugene Bareman are widely appreciated for the effective use of shoulder feints and lower body attacks in ways that were never observed in western martial arts. Training alongside accomplished champions also helps up-and-coming fighters to step up their game and it will be interesting to follow Carlos Ulberg's career trajectory in the years to come.