Хагас хүнд жингийн аварга Карлос Улберг гэмтлийн улмаас 2026 он дуустал тулалдах боломжгүй болсноо мэдэгдэж, жингийнхээ чансааг тодорхойлох өрсөлдөөний талаар саналаа хуваалцлаа.
2026 оны дөрөвдүгээр сард Иржи Прохазкаг нокаутаар ялж аваргын бүсээ хүртэх үеэрээ өвдөгний холбоосны хүнд гэмтэл авсан Карлос Улберг одоогоор нөхөн сэргээх эмчилгээндээ анхаарч байна. Тэрээр аваргын бүсээ хэнтэй хамгаалах шийдвэрийг UFC байгууллага гаргах ёстойг онцлоод, өөрийн үүрэг бол эрүүл мэндээ эргүүлэн олж, бэлтгэлтэй байх явдал гэв.
UFC Abu Dhabi тэмцээний үеэр Магомед Анкалаев Богдан Гушковыг тавдугаар раундад нокаутаар буулган авсны дараа Улберг өөрийн саналаа илэрхийлжээ. Тэрээр Анкалаевыг Иржи Прохазкатай тулалдуулж, жингийн шилдэг өрсөлдөгчийг тодруулах нь зүйтэй гэж үзэж байна. Мөн Пауло Коста болон Халил Раунтри нарыг хооронд нь тулалдуулах нь тус жингийн өрсөлдөөнийг улам сонирхолтой болгоно хэмээн байр сууриа илэрхийлэв.
Анкалаев өмнө нь Алекс Перейрад ялагдсаны дараа энэхүү ялалтаар эргэн ирсэн бөгөөд хоёр дахь удаагаа аварга болох зорилготой байгаа юм. Улберг нөхөн сэргээх хугацаагаа дуусгаж, 2027 онд аваргын бүсээ хамгаалах тулаанд бэлэн байх болно гэдгээ мэдэгдлээ.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
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MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 11: Carlos Ulberg of New Zealand celebrates after his victory via knockout over Jiri Prochazka of Czechia, not pictured, in a light heavyweight title bout during UFC 327 at the Kaseya Center on April 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Carlos Ulberg was in the house to watch Magomed Ankalaev take care of business in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event and he has some thoughts on how the light heavyweight roster should be booked going forward.
The reigning 205-pound champion has been sidelined since April, when he won a vacant UFC title with a shocking knockout of Jiri Prochazka that occurred moments after Ulberg appeared to severely injure his leg. Ulberg later announced he tore his ACL in the fight, leaving his division in a strange place.
After watching Ankalaev beat Bogdan Guskov live at Etihad Arena, Ulberg took to his Instagram Stories on Sunday to provide an update on his health and do some fantasy matchmaking.
“I’ve been asked the same two questions repeatedly,” Ulberg wrote. “1) How is the leg? Strong enough to remind a few people who the champion is. 2) Who do you want to defend the title against? That’s not my decision. That’s the UFC’s job.
“My responsibility is simple: Get healthy. Stay fit. Stay ready.”
Ankalaev, coming off a light heavyweight championship loss in his rematch with Alex Pereira, returned to the win column with a fifth-round knockout over Guskov that brought a definitive end to an otherwise dull fight that Ankalaev controlled from start to finish. Unbeaten in 15 of his past 16 fights, Ankalaev has his eye on becoming a two-time champion, but he’s also open to fighting middleweight transplant Paulo Costa.
Pereira is currently out of the mix after vacating the light heavyweight belt to move to the heavyweight division, but Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr.—originally scheduled to fight Ankalaev at UFC Abu Dhabi before withdrawing due to injury—remain relevant contenders. Ulberg has an idea for finding the No. 1 contender at 205 pounds ahead of his return.
“After last night’s fight, here’s my thoughts,” Ulberg wrote. “Ankalaev vs. Jiri. Give them both a full camp. It’s a fight the division deserves, and stylistically it’s one the fans would love to see.
“Costa vs. Rountree. That’s the wild card. High risk, high reward. Someone’s leaving with serious momentum.”
A knee injury of the nature that Ulberg suffered can shelve an athlete for a lengthy period of time, possibly more than a year, but Ulberg has maintained an optimistic mind set when it comes to recovery. Though there’s still no exact timetable for his return, Ulberg is ruling out the remainder of 2026 and expects the timing to work out for him to defend his championship against one of the worthy contenders sometime next year.
“By the time the dust settles… I’ll be ready,” Ulberg wrote. “Whoever earns it. See you in 2027.”
