Ulberg KOs Reyes in Perth to stretch winning streak to 9

Carlos Ulberg notched his ninth straight victory with a first-round knockout of Dominick Reyes to cap off UFC Fight Night in Perth, Western Australia on Saturday.

The victory cemented Ulberg's status as a legitimate title threat in the light heavyweight division. Uneventful decisions against established contenders Jan Blachowicz and Volkan Oezdemir put a damper on the Kiwi's previous two wins.

Ulberg controlled the Octagon against Reyes and never faced danger, leaning away from the couple of high kicks that his opponent attempted. Ulberg occasionally connected on jabs, but the late-round sequence marked the only real power shots of the bout.

Reyes had his three-fight winning streak come to a screeching halt. The American had been authoring an incredible turnaround story, rebounding from three consecutive knockout losses to rattle off wins over Dustin Jacoby, Anthony Smith, and Nikita Krylov. But he's now been knocked out four times since giving Jon Jones one of his most difficult title defenses in 2020.

Ulberg indicated after the fight that he plans to travel across the globe to Las Vegas, where Alex Pereira will rematch Magomed Ankalaev for the 205-pound championship next week. Ulberg is a candidate to face the winner, though Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr. are also in action next week and one of them could emerge as the next challenger.

Unlike Prochazka and Rountree, Ulberg has never fought for UFC gold. "Black Jag" entered the Perth event ranked third in the division, while Reyes came in ranked seventh. Ulberg is 13-1 since turning pro in 2011, with his lone loss coming against Kennedy Nzechukwu in March 2021.