Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker headlines UFC 271 and hours before Adesanya steps into the octagon, Aotearoa's Carlos Ulberg and Mike 'Blood Diamond' Mathetha have fights on the early-prelims section of the card. Mathetha is first up and makes his UFC debut, listed as the second fight on the card and the welterweight will line up against Jeremiah Wells who won his first UFC fight by KO last year. Ulberg is listed as the sixth fight and comes up against Fabio Cherant who has lost both of his UFC fights so far in the light heavyweight division.

Ulberg suffered a loss by KO in his first UFC fight against Kennedy Nzechukwu almost a year ago and has been deep in mahi hibernation since then. Even though Mathetha is making his UFC debut, he was right there alongside Adesanya and CKB comrades as they took over the local kickboxing circuit before embracing overseas adventures.

Both have decorated King In The Ring careers in Aotearoa, plus they represent the CKB style in glorious fashion. Ulberg and Mathetha have been slow-brewed in kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts by CKB to this point where they can both step up to the UFC level on a card headlined by Adesanya.

Ulberg provides an example of the step up to UFC scraps after looking frantic in his loss to Nzechukwu last year. Plenty of mahi has been done and Ulberg now has an opportunity to showcase his growth, not necessarily from a skills angle but more the discipline, focus and composure required to win in the UFC.

Team CKB have fantastic coaching staff to guide Ulberg through this. There is no shortage of CKB peers to learn from either and this combination will hopefully see Ulberg stick to his plan, patiently pick his opponent apart and enjoy his time in the spotlight. Cherant lost his first UFC by submission and was then knocked out in his second fight, offering a fairly even match up between two blokes eager to grab a UFC win.

Mathetha is more of an unknown quantity, not just for casual fans tuning in but also from the perspective of trying to break down his style. Ulberg for example is cooked from the world-class striking/slick defensive grappling CKB recipe that has seen Adesanya, Dan Hooker, Brad Riddell and Kai Kara-France establish themselves among the best of their weight divisions. Mathetha is the funkiest CKB fighter by all accounts, someone who combines ruthless 1-outs ability with creative expression in the octagon.

Ulberg had three MMA fights prior to his UFC debut, including his Contender Series win that earned him a UFC contract. Three MMA fights, two wins via KO/TKO and a decision victory. Mathetha on the other hand has three MMA fights with a win by TKO, then a win by submission (rear-naked choke) and a decision win. Catch any of Mathetha's highlights and you'll quickly catch the vibe.

Let the illusion of three MMA fights simmer throughout all UFC 271 yarns. Mathetha has ample experience in the combat sports world and is now 33-years-old. Ulberg doesn't quite have the varied experience of Mathetha, yet he is 31-years-old. Along with all of CKB's professional fighters, these two have deep wells of fighting and life experience to draw upon.

Having done the Adesanya vs Whittaker yarn yesterday, my intrigue and fascination is steadily escalating. Adesanya is a wizard in the octagon and led by Eugene Bareman, Team CKB have (Aotearoa bias) the best coaching staff in combat sports - boxing included. Whittaker and his team are also smart operators and this throws up a battle between the best middleweights in the world, both of whom have teams behind them with all sorts of tricks at their disposal.

The Adesanya vs Whittaker match up is as cerebral as it is physical and that's fun because we get to learn about their craft. The same learning vibe is evident in Ulberg and Mathetha though, with the Team CKB style on display. This revolves around having adequate defensive wrestling/jiu-jitsu to reinforce varied and tricky striking. Team CKB also develop their fighters over time in preparation for the UFC and this will be on display in how Mathetha enters the UFC as well as how Ulberg builds on his first up loss.

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