Preview: UFC on ABC 4 ‘Rozenstruik vs. Almeida’

Light Heavyweights

Carlos Ulberg (7-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Ihor Potieria (19-3, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Ulberg (-410), Potieria (+330)

Hopes were high for Ulberg upon his UFC debut in 2021. A multi-sport athlete with marketable good looks, “Black Jag” looked absolutely electric in a one-sided win to earn his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, giving the UFC another potential star for its jaunts down to Australia and New Zealand. For about a round of that debut against Kennedy Nzechukwu, Ulberg continued to look every bit the top prospect that was advertised; then came the second round. With Nzechukwu having survived an early onslaught, Ulberg looked absolutely gassed and got brutally knocked out, causing him to get written off as a one-round wonder who still has a long ways to go. Ulberg’s three fights since have seen him overcompensate a bit, fighting as a range kickboxer and looking to trap his opponents in a slow-paced fight, but it is also hard to argue with the results. A decision win over an overmatched Fabio Cherant was interminable, but quick knockouts of Tafon Nchukwi and Nicolae Negumereanu—the latter being one of the more consistently durable fighters at light heavyweight—were impressive bits of business that showed just how accurate Ulberg can be while staying cautious. There are still a ton of questions about how Ulberg can handle a fight that starts to go off the rails, and Potieria looks to have both the talent and the mindset to test that out.

Potieria has some solid physical tools, but built most of his record against a weak level of competition in his native Ukraine, leaving “The Duelist” with a lot of things left to work out. Potieria mostly throws out a lot of wild offense and hopes for the best, which was successful on the regional scene. However, he suffered a rude awakening in his UFC debut much like Ulberg. Negumereanu managed to eat Potieria’s offense and make things a grind, leaving the Ukrainian exhausted and open for a second-round finish. It is hard to say Potieria has adjusted anything from the defeat. He did score a win in Mauricio Rua’s retirement fight, which mostly speaks to the Brazilian legend’s state at the time than any impressive wrinkles from Potieria. There is a decent chance that Potieria’s early aggression can bring enough chaos to take Ulberg out of his comfort zone and score a quick finish. With that said, the bet is that Ulberg is quick and elusive enough to frustrate Potieria early on, which should set the table for him taking things over once the Ukrainian tires after a few minutes. The pick is Ulberg via second-round knockout.

Jump To »
Rozenstruik vs. Almeida
Smith vs. Walker
Garry vs. Rodriguez
Ulberg vs. Potieria
Morono vs. Means
The Prelims