Carlos
Ulberg is hoping for a quick turnaround after his knockout
victory over Alonzo
Menifield last weekend.
Ulberg (10-1) took just 12 seconds to starch Menifield (15-4) with
a brutal volley at
UFC St. Louis on May 11, snapping the American’s five-fight
undefeated streak while earning himself a performance bonus. The
previously unranked standout also landed himself the 14th spot on
Sherdog’s Official Rankings at light heavyweight with the
victory.
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Coming out of the fight relatively unscathed, Ulberg is eyeing a
quick return to action, perhaps as soon as next month.
Former light heavyweight champ Jamahal
Hill (12-2) will take on streaking contender Khalil
Rountree (13-5) at
UFC 303 on June 29, on a card that will also feature Conor
McGregor‘s Octagon return against Michael
Chandler. Looking for a leap up the rankings, Ulberg is ready
to serve as a replacement for Hill vs. Rountree if either man
cannot compete on fight night. If not, he is gunning for a
contender with a number next to their name.
“I think someone definitely in the top 10 for sure, could be top
five, who knows. But it is the light heavyweight division and the
UFC know what they are doing. I trust that anything can happen from
now until the end of the year. You do have Jamahal [Hill] and
[Khalil] Rountree, is it June? In Vegas. So, who knows what’s gonna
happen there? If maybe they need the fill, someone pulls from that,
who knows. But we’ll see where I’m at, what I need to do, we’ll
speak to the doctors and see if I’ll be fit for this fight, for any
fights coming up soon,” Ulberg said on “The MMA Hour.”
Since his lone career loss against Kennedy
Nzechukwu in his promotional debut, Ulberg has emerged as a
threat at 205 pounds. The 33-year-old has finished five of his six
UFC wins, four of them in the first round. Meanwhile, Hill comes
off a first-round knockout loss in a failed title bid against
Alex
Pereira at UFC
300. As for Rountree, “The War Horse” is riding a five-fight
winning streak with a technical knockout win over Anthony
Smith in his most recent outing in December.