Carlos Ulberg targets title defense in early 2027

Carlos Ulberg wants to fully recover before defending his UFC title.

UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg has stated that he hopes to finally defend his title again in early 2027. Due to a torn cruciate ligament he suffered in April against Jiří Procházka, he has been sidelined ever since, but has now finally given a timeframe for when he will be able to fight again.

“It sucks to be on the sidelines watching the guys. I'm still in the gym watching the guys and also doing my rehab. I’d much prefer to be in the gym, having a push and pull with the boys – but I’m a working man, and I’m doing everything to make sure that as the champion, I get myself back on the mats. I’m ready to get myself healthy again so that I can come and defend my title early next year”

he said in an interview with a UFC reporter.

He also explained that his sole focus right now is on getting healthy again. Of course, Carlos Ulberg would like to get back in the cage as soon as possible, but he clearly emphasizes that his focus is entirely on recovery at the moment, and he doesn’t want to rush anything. The worst thing for him would be if he decided to fight again too soon and then suffered another injury due to insufficient recovery. He definitely wants to avoid that. He went on to explain that he knows himself well and will definitely come back stronger. He’s giving it his all to get back into full swing right away and win his first title defenses right away. We can only wait with anticipation to see how Carlos Ulberg ultimately follows through on this and how his first fights will go.

I think it’s great that he’s focusing on recovery first. There were already rumors that he wanted to fight again this year, but apparently those weren’t true. It’s good that he’s taking the time to make sure he’s back at full strength.