Carlos Ulberg to headline UFC Perth
Photo:
photosport
It appears to be third time lucky for Carlos Ulberg as his path to UFC gold heads through Perth.
The Auckland mixed martial artist will headline UFC Perth against former title challenger Dominick Reyes, a fight which has been booked and cancelled twice.
Riding an eight fight win streak since his one and only defeat on UFC debut, Ulberg has been awarded his first main event, against a man no stranger to that spotlight.
Reyes famously took Jon Jones to a decision in 2020, many arguing he did enough to dethrone the former light heavyweight king.
The American went on to suffer another three consecutive defeats all by knockout before rediscovering his form with three wins on the bounce, again all by knockout.
Ulberg was last in action against former champion Jan Blachowicz, earning a unanimous decision victory in London in March.
The win saw his rise to third in the light heavyweight rankings, with Reyes four spots back in eight.
Fellow kiwis on the card include UFC debutant Michelle Montague and rising light heavyweight Navajo Stirling.
UFC Fight Night Perth
September 28
RAC Arena
Carlos Ulberg v Dominick Reyes - Light heavyweight
Navajo Stirling v Rodolfo Bellato - Light heavyweight
Michelle Montague v Luana Carolina - Bantamweight
Colby Thicknesse v Josias Musasa - Bantamweight
Dooho Choi v Daniel Santos - Featherweight
Loma Lookboonmee v Alexia Thainara - Strawweight
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
'No coincidences': Michelle Montague's journey to history-making UFC contract
She will make her debut in the octagon when the promotion returns Downunder in September, against Brazilian Luana Carolina in Perth. It's a destination Montague has walked a long, winding road to reach, and one that she admits she has questioned along the way. 'It's not really something that I let out, but man, I've had so many of those freaking chats with my parents, you know what I mean?' Montague tells the Herald. 'The chats I've had with my parents in the last few years through it all, and it's not because I doubt myself. 'It's like, I know I could be happy and great at certain things, and this is my favourite thing to be doing, so if I can't be growing in that or progressing or, you know, I'm here on a visa that allows me to only make money fighting so I can't be sitting with my thumb up my a** for eight months of the year. 'There's definitely been some reassuring chats with my parents where they're like, 'Shell, you're in the best place possible for you at the best time possible and even if you don't make it, or you fall short, whatever it is, you'll never look back and think, man, I wish I never tried doing that. 'You're always going to look back and be so happy and grateful that you decided to try that.' So, those times with my mom and dad, like, definitely knowing me the best out of anyone in the world, they hit part of my soul that I'm like, yeah, you're right.' As she speaks, it's fitting that Montague is conducting her interviews at Deerfield Beach. Michelle Montague will make her UFC debut in Perth in September. Photo / Getty Images Twelve years ago, Montague would visit the same beach while working as a lifeguard at Disney World in Orlando, making the hour-long trip south to play rugby with the locals. She got started in MMA soon after returning to New Zealand, joining Core MMA in Hamilton under the tutelage of Carlo Meister, who remains a consistent presence in her corner, and has also spent time training with Auckland's City Kickboxing gym. But it was relationships she made during that time spent in Florida that she leaned on when she was unable to get a border exemption to return back into New Zealand after travelling to Russia to compete in an amateur MMA tournament in mid-2021. She has since ingrained herself in the fabric of the famed American Top Team gym in Coconut Creek, alongside some of the sport's top talents – including current UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, whom Montague has a strong relationship with outside of the gym as well. It's a move Montague might not have made permanently had she been able to return home. 'There's no coincidences. It's all written there. I just get to be so humbled and so blessed in the fact that those things did happen,' she says. 'That's why when those things happen, you can't be like, 'oh man I'm so gutted that either I couldn't get back in, or I have to be a stranger at this new gym with all these very high-level international fighters' and all that. 'Like, those are all really, really good things. 'You just have to get through the fear of being this ... little Kiwi bug-eyed in the new world kind of thing, you know? 'Because that's how you grow and it's exactly what's been able to happen through those events that have happened.' Carlo Meister, Kayla Hracho, Michelle Montague and Kayla Harrison celebrate after one of Montague's wins. Photo / Getty Images Following a long amateur career, during which she claimed a lightweight world championship in 2019, Montague signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and made her pro debut in early 2022 in the same weight class. She dropped to featherweight later in the year to take a bout with the iKon FC promotion. That has since been her permanent weight class on her way to a 6-0 professional record with all wins by submission. She says the PFL was accommodating and she didn't have any issues being released by the promotion as she looked to lock down a UFC contract. She will join the UFC in the bantamweight division, taking another step down in weight class. It's a similar pathway to that of Harrison, who won two lightweight titles with the PFL and successfully fought at featherweight before joining the UFC as a bantamweight. It's a weight Montague has yet to cut down to. However, the ease she made featherweight gave her confidence with her prospects in the division. She has also linked up with The Fight Dietitian Jordan Sullivan to ensure she is ticking every box ahead of her UFC debut. '[Bantamweight] is the perfect weight for me. Especially with the girls I'm around training, like Kayla and [UFC fighter] Yana [Santos]. 'They're the exact same size as me, give or take, and they make it every time.' Her UFC debut in Perth will see a series of firsts for Montague: her first fight with the promotion, her first professional fight Downunder, and the first time her parents, Grant and Karen, will be able to see her go to work. 'They haven't seen a pro fight yet, so for them to be at my UFC debut is insane,' she says. 'I've got friends and family friends that are messaging me saying that they don't want to miss it, they're going to be there. That to me is like, so beautifully overwhelming to know. 'Like, man, I don't know how to explain it, but it does feel good and it does feel like being able to spot them in the crowd or whatever it is, or see them in fight week... every fight's the biggest fight you ever have, obviously, but this one definitely is quite large for me. 'So I don't take it for granted, being able to have my bloodline there supporting me and knowing that they're going to be s****ing bricks during it as well or, honestly, they'll be more nervous than me, which makes that a little bit easier.' As for being the first Kiwi woman to sign with the promotion, the achievement was certainly not lost on Montague. Reflecting on her journey so far and those who have helped her get to where she is, Montague credited the likes of Genah Fabian, Nyrene Crowley and other Kiwi women who have fought at home and abroad to give others something to strive for. Now, she hopes that can be a role she takes forward for the next generation. 'I really hope too, with this platform, the amount of girls that will be able to be like, 'wow, we really should stick at this.' 'A - the girls around us get better by having us there, and B, there's a pathway to follow... I just hope that other girls in New Zealand can jump on board too.' UFC Perth fight card as of July 30 Light heavyweight main event: Carlos Ulberg (NZ) v Dominick Reyes Light heavyweight: Navajo Stirling (NZ) v Rodolfo Bellato Bantamweight: Michelle Montague (NZ) v Luana Carolina Bantamweight: Colby Thicknesse v Josias Musasa Featherweight: Dooho Choi v Daniel Santos Strawweight: Loma Lookboonmee v Alexia Thainara UFC Fight Night Perth, September 28, RAC Arena. Tickets will go on sale in the coming weeks and fans can go to to register for pre-sale access. Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Former MMA fighter Conor McGregor loses appeal against civil rape case
Conor McGregor. Photo: INPHO Former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Conor McGregor has lost his attempt to overturn a civil jury's order that he compensate a woman who accused him of raping her, with Ireland's Court of Appeal rejecting the bid in its entirety. The plaintiff, Nikita Hand, alleged that McGregor - one of the world's highest-paid athletes - sexually assaulted her in a Dublin hotel room on 9 December, 2018. A jury last year ordered McGregor to pay her nearly €250,000 in damages . McGregor, 36, denied the allegation and said he had "fully consensual sex" with Hand. The ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star also denied causing bruising to the plaintiff. Hand last year said that she and a friend made contact with McGregor, who she knew, after a work Christmas party. She said they were driven by McGregor to a party in a penthouse room of a south Dublin hotel where drugs and alcohol were consumed. The verdict against McGregor was reached at the conclusion of a two-week civil trial in Ireland's high court, by a jury of eight women and four men. They handed down their decision after just over six hours of deliberations. Speaking outside the court in November last year after the initial verdict was handed down, Hand said she was overwhelmed by the support she had received and felt vindicated. "I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be, speak up," she said. The now-retired MMA star earnt $180 million in 2021, making him the world's highest paid athlete in 2021, according to Forbes. In March this year, McGregor was invited to the White House by United States President Donald Trump on St Patrick's Day, where the former UFC champion made various anti-immigration comments in relation to Ireland . "It's about time that America is made aware of what's going on in Ireland. What is going on in Ireland is a travesty," McGregor said, ahead of an Oval Office meeting with the US president. - Reuters
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Fairweather cruises into 200m semis
Erika Fairweather races in the women's 200m freestyle semifinal at the world championships in Singapore. Erika Fairweather made lightning-quick work of booking her spot in another world championship final. The former Dunedin swimmer breezed through the women's 200m freestyle semifinal in Singapore on Tuesday night, clocking in at 1min 55.52sec. It was the fourth-best time of her career and just 0.08sec off her New Zealand record set in April 2023. Fairweather, who now races for North Shore after moving to Auckland earlier this year, finished her heat third behind American Claire Weinstein and Australian Mollie O'Callaghan. The 21-year-old was the third seed heading into last night's final, the same event in which she won silver at the world championships last year. It was a good response from Fairweather, who was earlier denied the chance to defend her 400m freestyle world title — her specialist event — after she was disqualified for moving on the blocks. Kiwi Lewis Clareburt pushed the entire way in the men's 200m butterfly semifinal to finish with a personal best of 1min 55.24sec and 10th overall. "It's been three years since I clocked that personal best so I'm extremely happy," Clareburt said. "It obviously would have been great to get into that final, but it gives me confidence moving forward." He was back in the pool yesterday where he finished second his men's 200m IM heat in 1min 58.19sec to qualify for the semifinal last night. Clareburt met French Olympic champion Leon Marchand in his semifinal. United States great Katie Ledecky collected her sixth world title in the women's 1500m freestyle, finishing in 15min 26.44sec. It is the second medal of the championships for Ledecky, who now has 22 world titles to her name, having earlier won bronze in the women's 400m freestyle. Australian Kaylee McKeown made a dominant return to win gold in a thrilling women's 100m backstroke final. She came from behind to beat American Regan Smith in a championship record time of 57.16sec. McKeown wanted to rediscover her love for the sport after taking time out for mental health reasons post her 100m and 200m backstroke victories at the Paris Olympics. — Additional reporting Reuters
