The Daniel Cormier Show - Carlos Ulberg on beating Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327, DISMISSES DC & major critics

We’ve got milk-in-tea jokes, a quick Kiwi check, and then straight to it: Carlos Olberg headlines in Miami for the UFC light heavyweight title against Jiri Prochazka. How’s this moment feel as you close in on your first shot?

I’m fired up. We came to Miami early with the crew, got that last hard week in, and now I’m soaking it all in as fight week hits.

Your team’s rolling, the momentum’s real. Did this rise happen faster than you expected?

It felt right. I learned on the job, worked through the division, and developed the way I needed to.

I’ve been tough on you because the potential was obvious and the chatter was loud. Do you track any of that, and does it matter?

It mostly fuels me. I trust my ability and my team, I’m not big on social media, and I care more about proving it to myself than talking about it.

I thought there was hype, but I saw a shift after that loss—more patience, cleaner setups. The question’s always been if you’d avoid the kind of fight that drags you into chaos where your gifts don’t shine.

My focus is to keep my head down and climb. I never felt that hyped; maybe people judged the look, but I’ve dealt with that my whole life and turned it into fuel.

Against Jiri, you’ll need that calm. When he tags you, how do you resist the firefight pull we all feel?

I stick to what got me here and what I’ve added. If it’s there, I can grapple too, even if people haven’t seen much of it yet.

Wild that more opponents haven’t tried to wrestle you. When you study Jiri, what stands out, and what’s the challenge on the night?

He’s a true warrior with a chaotic fire and his own code, which is why he’s at the top.

He calls you systematic; you call him chaos. How do you avoid each other’s traps without becoming predictable?

Every opponent changes the fight. I’ll lean on instinct and system when it’s time, and I’ll keep the details close.

You didn’t grow up in combat sports. When did you know fighting was it?

After rugby league. I’d been in street fights, played with aggression, and knew I had that mindset, so I committed to it.

Have you sat with Saturday night and pictured the walk, the cage, and twenty five minutes to gold?

Yeah. Go in, line him up, and fire when the moment’s right.

If you win, some will say you didn’t beat Alex Pereira. Does that matter to you?

People always talk. If you’ve got the gold, you’re the champion.

Your team shows up big in these moments. What would adding another title mean to them and to home?

Everyone’s added value to this camp. Bringing the belt back would fire up New Zealand and Australia and give more hope, especially for brown kids who see what’s possible from a small country.

Congrats on the run. Carlos Olberg versus Jiri Prochazka is going to be fireworks, so tune in and don’t miss it. Follow Carlos, like and subscribe, and if you two clinch the whole time I’ll be booing by the cage—kidding, but not really; peace.