UFC Champion Carlos Ulberg Comes Home for Family & Inspiration

Staff Reporters/

Apia, SAMOA – 30 May 2026: The Light Heavyweight UFC Champion Carlos Ulberg is visiting Samoa this week and finds inspiration with young athletes taking after his success and at a time when the homeland of his father and family are celebrating the spirit of freedom and independence.

Welcomed home by his family in a traditional Ava Ceremony, home at Vaitoloa, Lepea is rich in Samoa’s history as the grave of Samoa’s independence leader, Tamasese Lealofi 111, is on the main road. He was shot by the New Zealand police during a peaceful parade along Beach Road on 28 December 1929 and some of the men who died trying to protect him from the bullets are buried across the main road.

The former model turned UFC athlete and Champion arrived a few hours after a parade of Samoa’s sporting teams and sports icons on Friday morning to open the 2026 Independence Games and the opening event of the country’s 64^th Independence celebrations.

On Saturday afternoon, Carlos was hosted by the Fight Legacy Combat Gym (FLCG) that is owned and operated by the Kasimani family and based at the KL Security Building, Matautu-uta. KL Security was founded by the late Fuataga Kasimani Lautusi, a former Taekwondo black belt, a fitness advocate and former Manu Samoa fitness Trainer.

Honoured and awed by the Champion’s visit, the students with the youngest at 5 years, were excited to meet a Mixed Martial Arts Champion of Samoan Blood and on Samoa grounds.

Welcomed by Kaino Fuataga, himself an Olympian, the students then showcased their skills.

Inspiring young Samoan fighters.

Q & A Session
The students excitement was obvious when it came to Q&A session where the young were eager to know not only about his fighting skills, but how he felt when he was injued and fighting on one leg, how he felt when he won the title, his tattoos and what they meant and one asking what U.F.C (Ultimate Fighting Championship) stands for.

FLCG student: What did you feel like when you won the title?’

Ulberg: “Winning the title was the biggest, the highest thing and it was very overwhelming”. He spoke that the feeling of winning didn’t hit straight away and that it was only when he was alone in his office a couple of weeks after the fight that he reminisced on all that he had to go through to achieve the title he sought for. That made him finally feel the achievement he has had.

The Champion answering the young students questions.

Ulberg is recovering from an operation from an anterior cruciate ligament rupture he sustained during his world title fight. He is going through a full recovery which is estimated to be 9 months. He is, however, planning to get back in the ring in the first quarter of 2027.

FLCG student: “How did you pick yourself up after the injury during the fight?”

Ulberg: “The biggest thing I have is mind preparation. And I had to put in a lot of work in the gym, and I had pictured himself winning to get through the pain. When it (his injury) happened, I already had it in my mind…. No, I am here to win this title.”

Talking about his training schedule, he said that they have at least 3 to 5 sessions per day, 6 days a week. In these sessions he trains in different combat and mental sessions ranging from jiu-jitsu, weights to mental preparations to name a few.

Carlos Ulberg with the management and students of the Fight Legacy Combat Gym.

FLCG student: “Do want to move to the next division, heavyweight?”

Ulberg: “Yes, that’s the goal. I want to move through 3 divisions however the challenge would be going down again once you have moved up a division because of the weight.
I want to hold this (Light Heavy Weight Championship Belt) maybe 2 times then go to heavy weight and ‘fusu’ Pereira.”

FLCG student: “When you were and amateur, who was a fighter you always looked up to?”

Ulberg: “When I started off, it was Jon ‘Bones’ Jones.”
He added that ‘Bones’ had a similar style as him and it was the reason he looked up to him. He advised the students to look for a fighter they admire and study them. Use them as an inspiration to help with their own skills and build up.

Carlos Ulberg looks to work more in Samoa during his time as Champion to inspire the up-and-coming generations through workshops and creating pathways for young Samoans.