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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
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Matt Erickson and Ken Hathaway

Carlos Ulberg sets sights on Alonzo Menifield after UFC 281 KO win

NEW YORK – Carlos Ulberg beat Nicolae Negumereanu with a first-round knockout Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Take a look inside the fight with Ulberg, who moved to 3-0 in 2022, including two straight by first-round knockout.

Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Carlos Ulberg

Nov 12, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Carlos Ulberg before his match against Nicolae Negumereanu at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

Result: Carlos Ulberg def. Nicolae Negumereanu via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:44
Updated records: Ulberg (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), Negumereanu (13-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC)
Key stat: Ulberg has five of his seven wins by knockout.

Ulberg on the fight's key moment

Nov 12, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Carlos Ulberg (red gloves) and Nicolae Negumereanu (blue gloves) during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

“I expected him to be more on the back foot and go with more of a counter, but he came with a different approach to what I’d imagined. So we went with Plan B, which was to walk him down with something and then come in with my counters.”

Ulberg on sharing a fight week house with teammates

Nov 12, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Carlos Ulberg before his match against Nicolae Negumereanu at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

“To be in a house full of your family members, your training partners, your team, it’s amazing. It really does lift your spirits. I don’t think anyone else is doing that – any team.”

Ulberg on what he wants next

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 15: (R-L) Alonzo Menifield battles Misha Cirkunov of Latvia in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 15, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

“As cliche as it sounds, we’ll let the masters behind the scenes doe their work. There are a few guys I’m looking out for and some guys I think would be a good fight for me. (Alonzo) Menifield – he’s been knocking out a few guys and he’s got some notable wins. I think that would be quite a good matchup.”

To hear more from Ulberg, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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