From marriage proposals in his DMs, to finding a home on stage as a male dancer, Carlos Ulberg’s pre-UFC career was one of romance and entertainment.
Before making his way to the UFC in 2020, New Zealand’s Carlos Ulberg was offered not one, but two chances to appear on the hit reality television show ‘The Bachelor’.
Now, as fans countdown to the popular light heavyweight’s return to action at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Brady in London – find out why Ulberg turned down this enormous TV role, as well as how he got his infamous ‘Black Jag’ and ‘Ladies Night’ nicknames.
Carlos Ulberg twice turned down spot on ‘The Bachelor: New Zealand’
In 2018, despite being 3-0 as a professional MMA fighter, Carlos Ulberg was at a crossroads in his life; pursue fighting as a full-time career or try to make inroads as New Zealand’s next top reality TV star.
Well, after an appearance on the TV show ‘Game of Bros’, Ulberg was offered the opportunity to find his one true love by participating in an upcoming season of ‘The Bachelor: New Zealand’.
However, Ulberg was already married to the fight game and turned down the role as “doing the Bachelor would mean I’d have to put myself out of training for a couple of months.
“It’s just not my thing and I’m more focused on my fight career,” he shared after his first-round knockout of Bruno Oliveira on Dana White’s Contender Series.
“I’ve been a practical person my whole life, and I enjoy the thrill of getting punched in the face or delivering a few punches,” he later explained to Daily Mail Australia on the move.
“I love the challenge of the sport and what it gives me, satisfaction and discipline.”
Whilst Ulberg ultimately walked away from ‘The Bachelor’, that doesn’t mean he isn’t still sought-after by fans around the world: “I get them [marriage proposals] all the time.
“You should see my messages,” laughed the Kiwi, admitting that “It’s filled with women… And men, [but] yeah, I get them all the time.’
The popular light heavyweight currently fights as the ‘Black Jag’, although he was originally announced as Carlos ‘Ladies Night’ Ulberg – so how did those two nicknames come about?
Carlos Ulberg explains the origin of ‘Ladies Night’ and ‘Black Jag’ nicknames
Now that we’ve got an idea about his pre-UFC reputation in New Zealand, it doesn’t take a genius to work out how Ulberg also got his initial ‘Ladies Night’ nickname.
“I used to do ladies nights in Australia, [so] I used to travel around Australia and New Zealand doing ladies nights and strip pretty much, that’s how I got my name ‘Ladies Night’… I was a rugby player, and I needed a bit of extra money, and I found that this was – more than extra money.
“I was traveling, they put me on billboards and all that sort of thing… I was doing that, partying, getting paid, I was loving it – I was young – until I found that I was good at fighting. So, I gave that up pretty quickly.”
The ‘Black Jag’ moniker that Ulberg currently fights under has a more traditional origin story, harking back to his time playing video games as a teenager.
“Well, Black Jag was something that I grew up with – I love jaguars, black jaguars, and I grew up with that name playing the PlayStation… Pretty much everything results from being a kid and having it as [my] alter ego.”
Ulberg is currently 11-1 as a professional MMA fighter and 7-1 under the UFC banner.
He faces former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Brady on Saturday, March 22.