Carlos Ulberg's head coach, Eugene Bareman, is not ready to accept the worst-case scenario for his champion's knee, offering a considerably more optimistic read than the medical analysis circulating since UFC 327.
Bareman appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday and shared his take after watching Ulberg at the post-fight celebration in Miami. His observations from the after-party gave him reason to believe the injury may not be as serious as feared.
"It's just a scratch, mate. He'll be back as soon as he can," Bareman said. "The way he was jumping around at the after-party in Miami, I reckon it was just a scratch. We'll wait for a medical diagnosis because I'm the furthest person who can make that qualification. I'm not sure. It's probably not as bad as everybody thinks."
That view stands in sharp contrast to the assessment offered by sports medicine physician Dr. Brian Sutterer, who analyzed slow-motion footage from the fight and delivered a far grimmer prognosis.
"That injury that Ulberg suffered is almost certainly going to keep him out for a very long time. It's not his Achilles, it's something more serious in his knee," Sutterer said. "This is pathognomonic of an ACL tear. I would be stunned if it's not. There is nothing else that is going to cause the tibia to shift forward internally like that and then pop backwards other than an ACL tear."
Sutterer projected a recovery timeline of nine to twelve months if surgery is required, which would keep Ulberg out of action until mid-to-late 2026 at the earliest and potentially into 2027.
