Carlos Ulberg thinks Magomed Ankalaev did enough to re-enter the title discussion with his UFC Fight Night 282 main event win.
Ankalaev (22-2-1 MMA, 13-2-1 UFC) was dominant on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi en route to a fifth-round TKO finish of replacement opponent Bogdan Guskov (18-4-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC). It was his first fight since losing the light heavyweight belt to Alex Pereira in their UFC 320 rematch in October.
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Since then, Ulberg (13-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) has taken the position of champion at 205 pounds, and he was cageside as Ankalaev broke down and ultimately stopped a hapless Guskov. He gave his immediate reaction afterward, and played coy on detailed thoughts.
“I saw what I needed to see, and I’ll make sure I do everything I can to get back in there, Ulberg told the UFC Fight Night 282 post-fight show on Paramount+. “I’ve always seen Ankalaev as a top contender, so he’s definitely one of the guys that will be up next as well. … I saw what I needed to see. I’ll leave it at that.”
The UFC light heavyweight division is in an odd spot at the moment with few streaking contenders and many ranked fighters coming off losses or changing weight classes. Ulberg himself is currently sidelined after tearing his ACL in a Knockout of the Year contender title win over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327 in April, and there’s still many months ahead until he’ll be ready to get back in the octagon.
Recovery holds the entirety of Ulberg’s focus at the moment, and he hopes to compete in Q1 of 2027.
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“I’m just making sure I need to do everything I need to keep on task with my injury, but then also just been working closely with the (UFC) PI and make sure I can get back in there as quickly as possible, but then also as safely as possible,” Ulberg said. “We’re looking at early next year, so 2027 if we’re being smart so we don’t come in too early and reinsure ourselves.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Carlos Ulberg ‘saw what I needed’ from Magomed Ankalaev in UFC Abu Dhabi win
