Carlos Ulberg may have now set himself up for a battle of prominent light heavyweight contenders in his next fight after defeating former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in the co-main event of UFC London.
But while the fight could have fallen either way, the feeling is that both men could have done more to put on a better performance.
This opinion is evidently held by former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, who posted his discontent over how the bout unfolded on social media.
"Is somebody going to actually fight smh"
Both men brought out a closely contested opening round, with the two spending time feeling each other out.
Blachowicz seemed to do more damage, however, thanks to working Ulberg over with a number of calf kicks, in addition to jabs. "Black Jag" did try to fight fire with fire, throwing his own low kicks.
Carlos Ulberg Edges Out Jan Blachowicz In UFC London Co-Main Event
The leg kick battle continued into the second round, with Ulberg landing more in terms of quantity, but Blachowicz landing with a little more power behind his attacks, though also slowing down a bit.
The third round continued the trend, with the Kiwi landing better quality strikes but the Polish veteran spending more time on the front foot. Ultimately, all three judges scored the fight for Ulberg, 29-28.
Ulberg has now won eight straight, with four finishes during this streak. His sole UFC loss came against Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 259.
Meanwhile, UFC London marked Blachowicz's first fight since losing to Alex Pereira at UFC 291 in July 2023, having dealt with injuries since. The former champion is 1-3-1 in his last five, which stretches back to his title fight loss to Glover Teixiera at UFC 267.