Ulquiorra nearly took off Ichigo’s head! Wow! Down below is a picture that shows Ichigo after he barely evaded the attack from Ulquiorra that almost cost him his head.
Ulquiorra was merely testing to see if Ichigo was strong enough and Ichigo disappoints. Looks like Ichigo’s got this fight on equal footing. He even made Ulquiorra used his released form. Ichigo used his Hollow mask which gives him the strength of a Hollow along with his powers as a Shinigami.