- Rising MMA star Carlos Ulberg beat Tafon Nchukwi in style on Saturday.
- Ulberg clattered Nchukwi with a decisive lead left hook to score a one-shot knockout.
- Watch the brilliant finish right here.
LAS VEGAS — Carlos Ulberg made ultimate fighting look easy when, really, it's anything but as he demolished Tafon Nchukwi in the very first round of a UFC match Saturday.
It all went down inside UFC's TV studio Apex during an event that was broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN+, with Ulberg concluding the preliminary section of the show with a one-punch knockout.
"I'm new to the sport of MMA but I work and I work fast," Ulberg said in an understated post-fight victory speech.
Ulberg established his range early in the fight with leg kicks.
He patiently probed around the outside of the Octagon, before uncorking a beautiful jab-come-lead-left-hook that staggered Nchukwi.
Ulberg then changed gears and threw a flurry of shots at his opponent as he sought to close the show there and then.
And it worked.
Not long after it had started it was all over — and Ulberg had only absorbed three of Nchukwi's shots during that time.
He meanwhile landed 15 of his own 19 strikes for a 79% accuracy rate, while scoring that decisive knockdown.
That's the way to fight.
Ulberg barely took any damage, barely broke a sweat, but his power proved a significant difference against an opponent who was likely overmatched this weekend.
On whether he'd been rehearsing the strike that was the beginning of the end for Nchukwi, Ulberg said: "Definitely," before adding: "I've seen his game," as if he knew the perfect time of when to throw it.
Watch the finish right here:
—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 26, 2022
Ulberg is joined in Las Vegas by his New Zealand fight teammates Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski.
He praised the two champions and the atmosphere they've cultivated in the gym as they all train alongside one another at City Kickboxing in Auckland.
Adesanya, the UFC's middleweight king, and Volkanovski, the featherweight champion, defend their titles in separate fights in next week's marquee combat sports event UFC 276 — which takes place July 2 as part of International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
Adesanya and Volkanovski were Octagonside for Ulberg's win and were seen raucously celebrating when he finished his opponent.
Watch it right here:
—UFC (@ufc) June 26, 2022
With victory, Ulberg advanced his pro MMA record to five wins (three knockouts and two decisions) against one loss.