Carlos Ulberg's title victory marks the 20th UFC championship won by fighters from Australia and New Zealand, counting the Whittaker-Romero rematch that was incorrectly stripped of title status. On a per-capita basis, Australia and New Zealand lead all regions with one title victory per 1.6 million population, ahead of North America (1 per 2.3 million) and Russia/CIS (1 per 8.3 million). The region's combat sports success extends beyond MMA to boxing, with current and former world champions including Jay Opetaia, Joseph Parker, George Kambosos, and Tim Tszyu. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Australia ranked fourth overall with 18 gold medals, while New Zealand became the least populous nation in the top 20 medal count with 10 total medals. Roman Fomin, UFC Performance Institute's Director of Sports Science, has credited Australian sports science as among the world's best.
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