UFC newcomer Carlos Ulberg is gearing up for the most important fight of his career, and the stakes are just as high for Kai Kara-France, after the City Kickboxing duo confirmed their next assignments
Ulberg and Kara-France will join teammate Israel Adesanya on the blockbuster card at UFC 259 on March 7 (NZ time), where the latter is looking to add the light-heavyweight championship to his middleweight strap – one of three title fights on the night.
For Ulberg (3-0), the light-heavyweight bout against American Kennedy Nzechukwu (7-1) marks his official UFC debut after earning a contract with a sensational knockout performance on the Dana White Contender Series last November.
Competing in a one-off bout in the hope of impressing the UFC boss enough to earn a spot on the roster, the Contender Series comes with its own unique pressures for fighters to navigate.
But as challenging as that experience was, Ulberg is preparing for another step up altogether.
“It doesn’t actually (feel like his debut) because by now I know quite a few people in the UFC, a lot of people behind the scenes and have become really good friends with a lot of them,” Ulberg said.
“But at the same time, to me it is the biggest and most important fight in my MMA career. I’m going to look at it that way and I guess I will look at it like that for every fight from now on.”
The location for UFC 259 is yet to be confirmed but Ulberg is likely to be returning to Las Vegas, where he fought in the Contender Series with Adesanya and UFC lightweight Brad Riddell in his corner.
