NEW YORK – What a year it has been for Carlos Ulberg, and the success continued Saturday at UFC 281.
Ulberg (6-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) kicked off the event at Madison Square Garden with a bang when he punched out Nicolae Negumereanu (13-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in the first round of the first prelim.
A left jab followed by a left hook initiated the brutal sequence. Negumereanu tried to scramble up to his feet but Ulberg ended that possibility with a pair of violent, diving right hands. The stoppage came at 3:44 of Round 1.
Ulberg was the first of four City Kickboxing fighters to compete at UFC 281, with teammates Brad Riddell, Dan Hooker, and Israel Adesanya also on the card.
THAT'S HOW YOU START A FIGHT CARD 💥 #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/pHQ3jfDyPW
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 12, 2022
The victory moved Ulberg to 3-0 in 2022 after a knockout loss against Kennedy Nzechukwu in a 2021 brawl. His other UFC wins were against Fabio Cherant and Tafon Nchukwi.
Negumereanu has a four-fight winning streak snapped. His previous loss came in his UFC debut against Saparberg Safarov.
The full up-to-the-minute UFC 281 results include:
- Carlos Ulberg def. Nicolae Negumereanu via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:44
