I used to be a male stripper to pay the bills, now a win at UFC London will put me on course for a title shot
CARLOS ULBERG has been tearing through the light-heavyweight division since his unsuccessful UFC debut in March 2021.
But ‘The Black Jag’ used to make ends meet by tearing off his clothes long before he made it to mixed martial arts‘ premier promotion.
Like most up-and-coming fighters, Ulberg struggled financially as a youngster and during the early stages of his career.
But unlike most of his fellow combatants, the New Zealander was able to capitalise on his good looks with modelling work and by taking part in ladies’ nights.
The 34-year-old, who sits at sixth in the 205lbs rankings, recalled: “I used to do ladies’ nights in Australia.
“I used to travel around Australia and New Zealand doing ladies’ nights and strip, pretty much.”
Ulberg and his ‘Magic Mike’ antics eventually came to the attention of an announcer on the regional scene, who gave him his first nickname – ‘Ladies Night’.
He continued: “Then a guy, one of the announcers back home, local, heard of that and gave me that name.”
Ulberg – who twice turned down the opportunity to be on The Batchelor New Zealand – loved everything that came with being a male stripper.
But he ditched the wild lifestyle after discovering his penchant for fighting.
“I was a rugby player and I needed a bit of extra money,” he said when further reflecting on his stripping past. “And I found that this was — more than extra money.
“I was traveling, they put me on billboards and all that sort of thing. It was similar to the [Thunder From Down Under show] that they have here [in Las Vegas].
“So I was doing that, partying, getting paid, I was loving it — I was young.
“Until I found that I was good at fighting. So I gave that up pretty quickly.”
The decision to ditch the stripping for fighting has well and truly paid dividends for Ulberg, who punched his ticket to the UFC with four straight wins – one of which came on Dana White‘s Contenders Series.
He faltered in his octagon debut in March 2021, suffering a second-round TKO loss to Kennedy Nzechukwu.
But he’s responded with SEVEN-STRAIGHT victories, four of which have come by way of knockout.
Ulberg’s sensational run has earned him the biggest fight of his career against Jan Blachowicz in the co-main event at UFC London on Saturday night.
And he could very well find himself fighting for UFC gold later this year with a statement-making victory against the former 205lbs champion.