Carlos Ulberg punched his ticket into the light heavyweight rankings Saturday with a statement performance against Alonzo Menifield at UFC on ESPN 56
Ulberg (9-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) needed just 12 seconds to catch and badly rock an incoming Menifield (15-4-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC). It was a frantic scene, but a few more punches and the light heavyweight bout at Enterprise Center in St. Louis was over before many people realized it had began.
It was tied for the third-fastest finish in 205-pound history, and you can watch the replay below (via X):
ULBERG NEEDED LESS THAN 15 SECONDS 😬 #UFCSTLOUIS pic.twitter.com/GJetX45rOM
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 12, 2024
The performance from Ulberg extended his winning streak to six fights. He’s likely to have a spot in the official UFC rankings next week, and said he’s coming for the top 10 names.
“We did expect something like that, and he did catch me, but you wake a lion up,” Ulberg said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I know I’m ranked now. … Anyone in that top 10, I’ll destroy anyone in my way.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 56 results include:
- Carlos Ulberg def. Alonzo Menifield via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:12
- Diego Ferreira def. Mateusz Rebecki via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 4:51
- Sean Woodson def. Alex Caceres via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Robelis Despaigne via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Chase Hooper def. Viacheslav Borshchev via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 3:00
- Esteban Ribovics def. Terrance McKinney via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 0:37
- Tabatha Ricci def. Tecia Pennington via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Trey Waters def. Billy Goff via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Charles Johnson def. Jake Hadley via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Veronica Hardy def. JJ Aldrich via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.
