UFC champion pulled into WrestleMania 42 drama as CM Punk sparks chaos

Photo by Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images

Carlos Ulberg made a surprise appearance at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, joining a growing list of high-profile guests attending WWE’s flagship event.

The night before had already featured celebrity names such as Tyrese Haliburton and KATSEYE’s Sophia Laforteza. Their presence followed a familiar trend, with major WWE events often attracting figures from sport and entertainment.

Ulberg’s involvement, however, went beyond a simple appearance. The UFC champion found himself indirectly pulled into the main event on Sunday night.

CM Punk uses Carlos Ulberg’s ula fala to provoke Roman Reigns

Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC

During the main event clash between CM Punk and Roman Reigns, Ulberg’s presence became part of the storyline. Punk snatched Ulberg’s ula fala in a bid to provoke Reigns while he was down in the ring.

The act carried clear meaning, as both Ulberg and Reigns share Samoan ancestry and the UFC light heavyweight titleholder was visibly supporting Reigns from ringside.

Using the ula fala in that moment added another layer of tension to the match, with Punk targeting not only Reigns’ identity, but also his support system in one gesture.

Despite the moment, Punk was unable to secure victory. Reigns recovered and ultimately defeated him to become the new WWE world heavyweight champion.

Carlos Ulberg attends event while recovering from serious injury

Ulberg’s appearance also came during a difficult period in his career. He was seen using crutches at the event following a recent ACL injury.

The injury occurred in his title fight against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327, after which he underwent surgery last week.