Carlos Ulberg has vowed to continue surprising the MMA world as he closes in on a potential UFC light heavyweight title shot with Alex Pereira.
First, however, Ulberg must navigate his way past former division champion Jan Blachowicz after the duo was confirmed to fight at UFC London in March.
That represents a short turnaround for Ulberg, who defeated another division rival, Volkan Oezdemir, via unanimous decision just last month. But riding what he feels is an "unstoppable" wave of momentum, Ulberg is preparing to set course for what could be a career-defining year in 2025.
"The offer came out pretty quickly, Jan hadn't fought in some time," Ulberg told ESPN said of the Blachowicz matchup. "I think he was looking to get a fight and had been preparing for some time, he was looking at London, and because I hadn't picked up any serious injuries or anything, the UFC offered me the fight pretty quickly.
"And we took it, no questions asked, so that leaves us with a bit of time now to prepare for this fight. Jan's a big step up, he's No. 4, a very powerful puncher, he's a black belt [in Brazilian jiu-jitsu]; but as long as I go in there and do what I propose to do, then God will gift me the glory."
Reflecting on his win over Oezdemir, Ulberg said he was pleased to be tested for the duration of the bout, having either rumbled through a KO or TKO victory in four of his most recent five fights.
"I like that I went three rounds with a powerful, notable fighter, who was telling reporters in interviews that he was going to show me levels above, and I got to show him levels above," Ulberg said.
"So I liked the fact that I got three rounds in there with Volkan, he is a very good fighter, he was on a very good tear, and I like that I am coming up against guys that are on a rampage and I am able to stop them in their tracks.
"But the best thing about it was coming away with the win obviously; fight camps are always quite different, you go through adversity and injuries and stuff like that, but we managed to get the win."
The UFC's No. 8-ranked light heavyweight contender, Ulberg has now compiled seven straight wins since February 2022, the New Zealander stepping up in class with each opponent along the way.
And while Blachowicz represents another leap altogether, Ulberg is relishing each opportunity to silence his doubters, the Kiwi riding a sense of self-belief he believes can carry him all the way to the belt.
"I don't mind being the underdog, as I have been for quite some time," Ulberg said of his progress up the light heavyweight rankings. "You get a lot of feedback, a lot of the fans online, say 'wait for this test'; well, I will continue to surprise the world.
"I've always believed in myself, I always knew that I was invincible from a very young age. As long as I have faith in myself and I treat it like a fun game, then I will come out victorious every single time.
"If I have all my ducks in a row, then everything will play out the way I have been playing it out. When we get this win -- we put the hard work in obviously, we don't just go in and expect to win -- but we do the hard work, get the training camp in and go into this fight with full confidence and we get the win, then we could be in for a title shot mid to late next year.
"This could be great for us, this could be great for Australia and New Zealand with some other guys in title contention [Jack Della Maddalena, Kai Kara-France], so I think this is really good for Australian and New Zealand MMA."
Asked what his dream scenario for a title shot against champion Alex Pereira, Ulberg didn't look too far afield.
"The ideal match-up would be against Pereira here in Australia - where he has a lot of fans, too - and I have a backing in Australia as well, so this would be perfect," Ulberg told ESPN.
"To do it in my own backyard and to do it for the fans in Australia and New Zealand would be the perfect matchup for us, so let's put that in the universe."
There is work to be done against Blachowicz in the meantime, though.
"This fight is going to be epic, they call him the 'Polish Power', and you've seen that, you've seen the way he can knock people out and how much damage he can put on an opponent.
"He's got a strong stand-up as well as his ground game, and he's got big experience. He doesn't shy away from a punch-up, he doesn't run away from anyone, so I feel like it is going to be the perfect matchup to set up for a title shot."