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All the way from Ōtara, Carlos Ulberg vying for lucrative UFC contract

November 2, 2020

Israel Adesanya is calling the shots as his cornerman.

New Zealand is on the verge of having another star fighting in the UFC. Hailing from Auckland's City Kickboxing, Carlos Ulberg is in Las Vegas to fight for a lucrative UFC contract.

Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is calling the shots as his corner man and one of Ulberg’s teammates says UFC ratings are about to skyrocket, especially among female audiences.

Ulberg can definitely do the damage and looks so good doing it, his nickname is Uce Juice. He grew up in Ōtara, Auckland.

“I grew up having to defend myself because I was too pretty or you know what I mean, in the boys’ homes and stuff like that,” he told 1 NEWS.

A beacon of light for other kids growing up in foster homes, the 29-year-old King In The Ring champion is now one of the most promising fighters in the country.

“Crying myself to sleep almost every night as a child but like I said it created something in me and it made me stronger,” he said.

As one of Adesanya's main sparring partners, he's been behind some of City Kickboxing's biggest wins.

Teammates Brad Riddell and Adesanya made the trip to Vegas with him this week as coaches.

“He's the one that's always going to lift me up and be like 'that's works, woooh,’ you know he reacts to everything and just lifts my spirits up.”

The contender series awards UFC contracts to fighters who impress boss Dana White with Ulberg in the main event on Thursday against Brazilian Bruno Oliveira.

“I'll go in there and I'll do my thing and I'll hope to do everybody proud, and that's where we're at. It'll mean a great deal man. It'll mean I won't be able to work too much, holding pads. Sorry to all my clients.

His days as a personal trainer may soon be over.

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