New Zealand's Carlos Ulberg (left), has bested Volkan Oezdemir of Switzerland, in Macau. Photo: photosport
New Zealand mixed martial arts fighter Carlos Ulberg has enhanced his status with a hard-fought win over Swiss light-heavyweight rival Volkan Oezdemir, at a UFC fight night event in Macau.
In his first fight in more than six months, Ulberg is likely to have cemented a place in the UFC top-10 rankings with an accomplished unanimous decision win.
Ulberg used good speed and counter-striking to deny his higher-ranked opponent, who was keen to fight on the inside, to get the nod from the three judges. Two scored the fight 30-27 to the Auckland-based fighter, while the other had it closer, at 29-28.
The outcome came as a relief for 34-year-old Ulberg (12-1), who has had fights fall over this year because of injuries and opponents pulling out.
In the event's main fight, Petr Yan of Russia toppled persistent Brazilian Deiveson Figueiredo with a unanimous-decision bantamweight win.