Within arm’s reach of a wanderer, Carlos Ulberg is set to fight for Dana White for the 11th time in his combat career. Across from him will stand Dominick Reyes, who has proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with. A win could propel him into title contention, especially with Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev set to rematch at UFC 320, not that long after.

However, if things hadn’t gone wrong for the 34-year-old southpaw early in his career, ‘Black Jag’ might have remained just a name that combat fans didn’t know of. Before Ulberg made his way to Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, the Kiwi fighter had dreams of becoming an All Black or NRL star. But those dreams came crashing down thanks to a brawl.

Recap of Carlos Ulberg’s rugby career

Growing up in Ōtara, New Zealand, Ulberg showed early promise in rugby. He made his high school First XV and played for local clubs. “Rugby was great,” Ulberg recalled, “but then there was rugby league. The guys doing rugby league are bigger, stronger, and it’s more physical. So I was like ok, I’ll join league and I’ll join the Warriors.”

He thrived in the tougher code, joining the Otahuhu Leopards and later earning a spot in the Counties Manukau development squad. His performances quickly drew attention. “I thought this might be the year I make a breakthrough with the Warriors,” he said, as coaches from both the Warriors and the Auckland Vulcans began taking notice.

For a period, Ulberg’s future seemed destined for the rugby field. “Movie star or All Black,” he once joked of his youthful ambitions—before fate pushed him toward fighting. But what happened?

The infamous brawl that cost Carlos Ulberg his Rugby career

At the age of 22, he was playing for Ōtāhuhu Leopards, but during a Fox Memorial Cup game, a sideline fight erupted that derailed his future. A keen kickboxer, Ulberg instinctively fought back in a way that shocked officials. “I’m throwing knees at one of the guys and just got him in a clinch, and the camera zooms in on me,” he recalled.

This resulted in an eight-week ban and, more importantly, legal consequences, cutting short what could have been a promising professional rugby career. “I put everything into that season and then it got taken away from me,” Ulberg admitted. Now, the question is, how did this devastating halt to his rugby career bring him closer to a career in the cage?

How did Carlos Ulberg start fighting?

After everything was taken away from him, he admitted, “I went straight to the boxing gym the very next week.” His father was a fighter and was no stranger to boxing, having represented Samoa and New Zealand in the sport. This acted as a source of inspiration for Ulberg, so he jumped in headfirst. He did kickboxing in China for the next three years.

It didn’t take him long after that to set his sights on a new goal—the competitive world of international mixed martial arts. He joined City Kickboxing in New Zealand and trained alongside UFC legend Israel Adesanya. Slowly but surely, Ulberg’s star started to rise. In 2020, he earned his UFC contract.

Carlos Ulberg has had a turbulent career, but now, he has a shot at greatness. Do you think he can beat Dominick Reyes?