UFC St Louis: Carlos Ulberg knocks out Alonzo Menifield in ...

In his first opportunity to break into the UFC light heavyweight rankings, Carlos Ulberg needed only 12 seconds to get the job done.

Scoring the third-fastest finish in UFC light heavyweight history, Ulberg planted Alonzo Menifield with a left hook for his sixth straight UFC win at the UFC Fight Night in St Louis on Sunday. The win saw him awarded a US$50,000 [NZ$83,000] performance of the night bonus and also gave him the longest active winning streak in the division.

It brought an end to a frustrating wait to get back to work for the 33-year-old, who was initially scheduled to get back into the octagon in January before delays and a change in opponent saw him lock in this weekend’s booking.

Against the 11th-ranked Menifield, Ulberg didn’t miss his opening.

Speaking to the Herald leading into the fight, Ulberg noted it was a good match-up stylistically for him and his speed and timing would make the difference against Menifield, whose power is his calling card.

“We knew coming up against a guy like Alonzo Menifield to be careful of his power,” Ulberg told ESPN after the fight.

“He’s got a lot of power, is explosive, and as long as I stuck to the game plan with my coaches Mike [Angove], Andrei [Paulet] and Eugene [Bareman], we knew he was going to come forward. I just had to do what I had to do.”

That proved to be the case.

With Ulberg having the range advantage, Menifield had to work his way inside to get within striking distance of Ulberg. He tried to do that immediately, swinging wildly and driving Ulberg against the cage.

Ulberg moved well, getting caught with the first of Menifield’s shots but avoiding those that followed and looking to catch Menifield with a check hook - a strike which is becoming something of a signature blow for Ulberg in the UFC - as the American was charging in. While he didn’t land, Menifield’s momentum carried him forward and into the fence as Ulberg slipped to the right.

That saw Menifield stumble into the cage. When he turned back around - with a little assistance from his Kiwi foe - Ulberg unleashed his own barrage.

Ulberg then immediately dropped Menifield with a right hand. As Menifield found his way back to his feet, Ulberg continued swinging. He landed about four shots before one heavy left hand ultimately found the button to end the fight, before jumping the cage to share pleasantries with UFC boss Dana White, the promotion’s chief business officer Hunter Campbell and matchmaker Sean Shelby as he celebrated.

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“He did catch me. That woke me up, and when you wake the lion up, that’s when he comes out.”

Speaking on commentary after the performance, former UFC champion Michael Bisping said, “This man has future champion written all over him.”

The win will see Ulberg enter the top 15 next week, with his eyes on a top-10 match-up later in the year.