Carlos Ulberg's victory represents the 20th title win for fighters from Australia and New Zealand in UFC history, though officially recorded as 19 due to a technicality with the Whittaker-Romero rematch. The region leads globally in title wins per capita, with one title victory per 1.6 million people, surpassing North America's 1 per 2.3 million. Australia and New Zealand's combat sports success extends beyond MMA to boxing, where current and former champions include Jay Opetaia, Joseph Parker, George Kambosos, and Tim Tszyu. The region also excels in Olympic performance, with Australia finishing fourth in the Paris 2024 medal count and New Zealand placing 11th despite being the most sparsely populated country in the top 20. Roman Fomin, UFC Performance Institute's director of sports science, has cited Australian sports science as among the world's best.
