Carlos Ulberg wins 20th UFC title for Australia and New Zealand region

Carlos Ulberg's victory marks the 20th UFC championship won by fighters from Australia and New Zealand, though officially recorded as 19 due to the UFC incorrectly removing title status from the Whittaker-Romero rematch. The post argues that since Whittaker made weight while Romero missed, the bout should have remained a title fight for Whittaker. Australia and New Zealand lead all regions in title victories per capita with one championship per 1.6 million residents. North America ranks second at one per 2.3 million, while Russia and CIS countries have one per 8.3 million. The analysis also highlights the region's boxing success with current and former world champions like Jay Opetaia, Joseph Parker, George Kambosos, and Tim Tszyu. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Australia finished fourth in the overall medal count with 18 golds, while New Zealand ranked 11th with 10 medals despite having only 5 million population. The post attributes these successes to the region's well-developed sports science and cultural approach to athletics, citing UFC PI's sports science director Roman Fomin who called Australian sports science among the world's best.