Carlos Ulberg has lived many lives in his 31 years on this planet, and apparently in one of them he was a stripper.
On Saturday night, Ulberg scored his first knockout victory in the UFC, stopping Tafon Nchukwi in the first round at UFC Vegas 57. But before the City Kickboxing light heavyweight became a professional MMA fighter, Ulberg was a rugby player, a kickboxer, a reality television star, a model, and as he told reporters during his post-fight press conference, once provided a very different form of entertainment to people.
“I used to do ‘ladies nights’ in Australia,” Ulberg said when asked to explain his “Ladies Night” nickname. I used to do ladies nights in Australia and New Zealand, and also stripping. And then a guy, one of the announcers back home, local, heard of that and gave me that name.
” I was a rugby player, and needed some extra cash. I discovered that this was more than just extra money. They put me up on billboards while I was travelling. Similar to what they do here, it was very similar. It was fun, and I loved it. But then I discovered that fighting was something I enjoyed. I quit that quickly .”
Thunder From Down Under is an Australian-themed male revue based out of Las Vegas that offers “an intimate Vegas stage showing off chiseled bodies, seductive dance routines, cheeky humor, and boy-next-door charm that you won’t be able to resist!” With Ulberg having twice been offered a spot on New Zealand’s version of The Bachelor, it’s not hard to see how he could have fit a particular mold for this kind of work.
Ulberg has another nickname, “Black Jag”, which he said has a less interesting backstory. It simply stems from his love for big cats.
“Black Jag was something that I grew up [with], because I love jaguars, black jaguars, and I grew up with the name playing the PlayStation,” Ulberg said. “Everything results to being a kid and having that as your alter ego.”
Regardless of whether you call it “Ladies Night” and “Black Jag”, Ulberg is “prospect”. The City Kickboxing standout is now 2-1 in his UFC career, and given his close relationship with champions Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski, and his successful kickboxing background, there’s a bright future ahead for the 31-year-old New Zealand native.
