Preview: UFC London ‘Edwards vs. Brady’

Light Heavyweights

Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1) vs. Carlos Ulberg (11-1)
Odds: Ulberg (-265), Blachowicz (+215)

Is Ulberg ready for his closeup? New Zealand's "Black Jag" was one of the standouts of the 2020 edition of Dana White’s Contender Series; a former kickboxer and general renaissance man, Ulberg obliterated his opponent and looked like a future star, both in terms of results and marketability. But things quickly went sideways in his UFC debut against Kennedy Nzechukwu; Nzechukwu absorbed a hellacious beating from Ulberg early on, resulting in Ulberg gassing himself out and folding once Nzechukwu was able to turn things around. Ulberg's next fight was a terrible win over Fabio Cherant that raised the worry he was overcompensating from his defeat and becoming much too patient, but thankfully that was a temporary speed bump in an excellent seven-fight winning streak. A lot of those wins have seen Ulberg lay back and crush his opponents with one or two sharp counters for quick knockouts, which made his November win over Volkan Oezdemir an excellent proof of concept that Ulberg has gotten over some of his prior issues; Oezdemir didn't go away, and Ulberg put together three solid rounds for his first decision win since the Cherant victory. A win over Blachowicz could earn Ulberg a title shot, though this is just as important a fight for Blachowicz in terms of affirming his relevance after a nearly two-year layoff.

Blachowicz looked like a bust for the first three years of his UFC career; signed in 2014 with some solid expectations, Blachowicz's success was spotty at best, with the Pole showing some flashes but generally getting outworked over the course of his fights. But in a 2017 win over Jared Cannonier, everything suddenly clicked. Aided by a newfound jab and some improved composure, Blachowicz now had a complete victory that allowed him to string together some workmanlike wins. The expectation was that Blachowicz would go from the fringes of the roster to something like a gatekeeper to the elite, so it was a shock when he wound up as the UFC's first post-Jon Jones light heavyweight champion with a win over Dominick Reyes, chopping down Reyes with some kicks before laying down the wood for a second-round knockout. Blachowicz's reign was on the short-lived side, as he turned back Israel Adesanya before dropping the belt to Glover Teixeira, but Blachowicz remained in the championship mix for his next three fights; in fact, each of those bouts easily could've gone the other way and changed the shape of the light heavyweight title picture in the process. Aleksandar Rakic looked set to crash the title picture with a win over Blachowicz until a sudden injury gave Blachowicz the win, and Blachowicz's draw against Magomed Ankalaev and loss to Alex Pereira were each coin flip affairs. A rematch with Rakic in early 2024 was scrapped due to a Blachowicz injury, and it's unclear where he stands at this point; he's the type of fighter that has a game that should age well, but he's also now freshly turned 42 in an athlete's division. Blachowicz is Ulberg's most solidly built opponent to date and surprisingly deft at handling kicks from his opposition, but the call is that Ulberg still gets things done here; it's mostly based on youth, size and speed, but Ulberg should be able to play sniper in a fashion that keeps Blachowicz from getting much done, even if it won't be the electric breakout some might hope. The pick is Ulberg via decision.

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Edwards vs. Brady
Blachowicz vs. Ulberg
Nelson vs. Holland
McCann vs. Thainara
Vucenic vs. Duncan
Wood vs. Charriere
The Prelims