The morning after Magomed Ankalaev's fifth-round TKO win over Bogdan Guskov on Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi, light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg took to social media to play matchmaker.
The 35-year-old Ulberg (14-1), who's expected to miss the remainder of 2026 after tearing his ACL in April during his first-round knockout win over Jiri Prochazka to win the vacant title, proposed a pair of title eliminator bouts to produce his next challenger.
"After last night's fights, here's my thoughts," Ulberg posted on Instagram. "Ankalaev vs. Jiri. Give them both a full camp. It's a fight the division deserves, and stylistically it's one the fans would love to see. [Paulo] Costa vs. [Khalil] Rountree [Jr.] That's the wildcard. High risk, high reward. Someone's leaving with serious momentum.
"By the time the dust settles … I'll be ready. Whoever earns it. See you in 2027. God is great."
Carlos Ulberg proposed a couple of matchups to determine the next contender at LHW. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/ltvK8vaKMy
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) July 26, 2026
While there's no word whether UFC matchmakers agree with Ulberg's ideas for the future of the division, the champion did update the progress of his injury recovery on Saturday when he attended UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi.
"I'm just making sure I need to do everything I need to keep on task with my injury, but then also just been working closely with the [UFC Performance Institute] and make sure I can get back in there as possible, but then also as safely as possible," Ulberg said on the UFC Fight Night post show. "We're looking at early next year, so 2027 if we're being smart so we don't come in too early and reinjure ourselves."
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It's clear at the moment that between Ulberg's injury and the recent move up for former two-time champion Alex Pereira to heavyweight, the UFC's 205-pound division is currently going through a state of rapid turnover. Considering UFC CEO and president Dana White teased earlier this month of the possibility of an interim title bout during Ulberg's absence, let's take a closer look at which light heavyweights have the best chance of emerging into true title contenders.
The Favorites
Magomed Ankalev (21-2-1, 1 NC)
UFC ranking: No. 1
At 34, "Big Ank" is likely the most technical and well-rounded fighter in the division whose only loss in the past eight years came in his title rematch with Pereira last October when he was stopped just 80 seconds into the fight. The problem is that he'll only engage if his opponent makes him, which was evidenced by this weekend's sleep-inducing victory over Guskov. Ankalaev is anything but a massive draw and tends to be his own biggest enemy when it comes to advancing his career, which was evident all the way back in his maddening 2022 draw with Jan Blachowicz for the vacant title. Still, he's a former champion who has defeated nothing but quality opposition since making his UFC debut in 2018 and his track record demands that any path to the title goes through him.
Jiri Prochazka (32-6-1)
UFC ranking: No. 2
The former champion, who was forced to vacate his title due to injury shortly after winning it in 2022, had beaten every UFC light heavyweight he had faced entering 2026 with the exception of two title knockout defeats to Pereira. But Prochazka's April title bout at UFC 327 in Miami turned into a disaster when he admitted that he lost focus after Ulberg injured his ACL and the lapse in judgment cost him a second title reign by creating room for Ulberg's dramatic KO win. The 33-year-old Prochazka, who briefly flirted with the idea of moving down to middleweight, has an entertaining style and endearingly quirky personality that fans love and would likely be a leading candidate for an interim title bout should UFC decide to float a title shot in Ulberg's absence. Yet his daredevil style and constant pursuit of a finish also leaves him vulnerable against technical opponents.
In The Mix
Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-7, 1 NC)
UFC ranking: No. 5
At 36, Rountree remains one of the most dangerous 205-pound contenders despite the fact that he has lost two of his last three, including a come-from-behind knockout defeat to Prochazka last October. Rountree, who was forced to withdraw from last weekend's headliner against Ankalaev due to injury less than two weeks' out, transitioned from mediocrity to become an unlikely title challenger by winning five straight fights from 2021 to 2023, including four by knockout. Rountree also showed out in his 2024 title loss to Pereira by winning the first two rounds before succumbing to a brutal fourth-round TKO.
Paulo Costa (16-4)
UFC ranking: No. 6
Wait, is the 35-year-old Brazilian slugger a middleweight or a light heavyweight? Well, after his third-round TKO win over surging knockout artist Azamat Murzakanov in April, Costa became an overnight threat to the 205-pound title. And the opportunity to refresh his brand in a new weight class proved important considering Costa, beginning with his one-sided middleweight title loss to Israel Adesanya in 2020, started a streak of four losses in five fights against elite competition. Costa is certainly unpredictable -- both inside and out of the Octagon -- but the large amount of turnover at 205 pounds has opened up a door for his exciting style and star power to climb right into contention after defeating the previously unbeaten Murzakanov. The fact that he's a fresh matchup for most of the top names doesn't hurt either.
Wild Cards
Robert Whittaker (27-9)
UFC ranking: No. 11
The former middleweight champion appeared to author the start of a second chapter at UFC 329 in early July when he moved up to 205 pounds and stopped Nikita Krylov. At 35, it's hard to know what kind of shelf life Whittaker has in the division, although the Krylov performance was an encouraging one. He may be one more big win away from stronger consideration but the fact that Whittaker is a living legend with a fan base means anything can happen in terms of his future title opportunities. Whittaker is compact and muscular at his new weight class with great technique and grit, but it's still too early to tell whether he can truly deal with the higher end of size and talent in this division.
Khamzat Chimaev (15-1)
UFC ranking: No. 1 (middleweight)
Immediately after losing his middleweight title to Sean Strickland by upset split decision in May at UFC 328, Chimaev announced he was moving up to light heavyweight due to the difficult weight cut that compromised him in his first title defense at 185 pounds. But the 32-year-old has changed his tune of late following repeated calls publicly for an immediate rematch with Strickland. Should the UFC not comply, Chimaev could just as easily be considered for a vacant light heavyweight title shot due to his immense popularity and dominant grappling skills.
Dark Horse
Navajo Stirling (10-0)
UFC ranking: No. 15
The 28-year-old unbeaten prospect from City Kickboxing in New Zealand has been impressive through five UFC wins yet isn't necessarily in the title mix just yet. But after he accepted a late-notice opportunity to take on Jan Blachowicz next Saturday in the three-round co-feature at UFC Fight Night in Serbia, an impressive victory over the former champion could change Stirling's fortunes quickly. The 43-year-old Blachowicz is 0-2-2 in his last four fights but is ranked No. 4 and still carries a big name, toughness and experience.
