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

Carlos Ulberg's victory represents the 20th UFC championship win for Australia and New Zealand combined, though officially recorded as 19 because the UFC incorrectly removed title status from the Whittaker-Romero rematch despite Whittaker making weight. The Australia/New Zealand region leads all continents in title wins per capita with one championship victory per 1.6 million residents, ahead of North America (2.3 million) and far ahead of South America (6.3 million) and Russia/CIS (8.3 million). The region's combat sports success extends to boxing with current and former world champions including Jay Opetaia, Joseph Parker, George Kambosos, and Tim Tszyu. Australia and New Zealand also excel at the Olympics, with Australia finishing fourth in the 2024 Paris medal count with 18 golds and New Zealand 11th with 10 medals despite being the least populous country in the top 20. The post attributes these successes to a well-developed culture of reasonable living and world-class sports science, citing UFC PI sports science director Roman Fomin's assessment that Australian sports science may be the best in the world.