LONDON -- Carlos Ulberg took a big step towards fighting for the UFC light heavyweight title with a unanimous decision win over Jan Błachowicz in London on Saturday.
The judges scored the fight 29-28, 29-28 & 29-28.
While far from an all-action contest -- with the result greeted by boos and jeers from the O2 Arena crowd -- it was an eighth straight victory for Ulberg (13-1) who is ranked No. 6 in the division.
A tense opening round was a sign of things to come with neither fighter keen to engage given the importance of the fight to both careers.
Ulberg looked to force the pressure more in Round 2 with plenty of leg kicks and inside kicks However, Błachowicz (29-11-1) showed his vast experience and moved well to limit the damage.
Former light heavyweight champion Błachowicz,42, had more success in Round 3 but it wasn't enough as Ulberg's remarkable winning streak continues to put him in prime position to fight for a title himself.
"Yeah, I mean we had a lot of doubters in the crowd but then also around the world. All we needed to do was just prove them wrong," Ulberg told ESPN.
"Today was about trying to get him knocked out, but he was smart in his approach, and he was very good at defending what I was trying to do.
"So my game was just to touch and go and make sure he wasn't going to get a hold of my legs to try to take me down. So we got that and we also got the win. We're happy."
Ulberg reaffirmed his desire to fight for the belt next.
"That's all I'm after. I'm only after the title," Ulberg said.