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Andreas Hill, ESPN
From 2011 to 2020, the UFC’s light heavyweight division was based on two people: Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. Jones held the 205-pound title twice, with his first reign lasting 1,501 days and his second reign lasting 597 days. When Jones was not champion due to his transgressions outside the octagon, Cormier held the world title for 1,315 days.
But once Jones and Cormier were gone, the division struggled with stability and lacked identity. From September 2020 to January 2023, four fighters held the world title (Jan Blachowicz, Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira), and only Blachowicz was able to secure a successful title defense.
Many fans wondered where the division was headed.
And then Alex Pereira arrived, dropped his anchor and became the dominant force the division needed.
Following his successful title defense at UFC 307 against Khalil Rountree Jr. – his third in 176 days – Pereira has firmly etched his name into the history books as one of the greatest ever in the division. But what about the rest of the current 205 lbs? Can anyone usurp Poatan from his throne?
Here’s a look at the current landscape of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, broken down into tiers, providing a clearer picture of where the division stands behind Pereira.
Elite
What Pereira has accomplished since arriving at the light heavyweight division in July 2023 has been nothing short of exceptional. Recall that Pereira entered the division after a knockout loss, when he dropped the middleweight title to Israel Adesanya earlier that year. He was pressured by Blachowicz by split decision in his debut at 205 pounds. Then, he severely injured his knee and suffered an inexplicable tear, causing him to binge-watch television.
Pereira is arguably the most violent, yet technically sound striker in UFC history. He has yet to come close to losing since capturing lightweight gold. In less than a year, he already holds third place all-time in light heavyweight title fights with four wins, tied with Cormier and one behind Chuck Liddell. At 37 years old, Pereira is unlikely to come close to Jones’ impressive 14 title bout wins, but he has already proven that he is among the elite in the entire UFC.
Next in line
0:57
Magomed Ankalaev stops Johnny Walker to end the main event
Magomed Ankalaev ended the fight against Johnny Walker after the referee stopped it in the main event of UFC Fight Night.
Ankalaev did almost everything in his power to justify a rift in the hero. One could argue that he was worth much more than Rountree and was passed over due to the UFC’s preference for an opponent who would stand and strike with Pereira rather than threaten to wrestle. However, he was overtaken and now the Dagestani fighter has to prove himself once again against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 in a meaningless fight. He currently represents Pereira’s biggest threat given his grappling ability, but the UFC decided to make him wait.
Trying to figure out where Ankalaev went wrong is a fool’s errand. He fought Blachowicz for the vacant title in 2022 and ended up drawing in a bout that many fans thought Ankalaev did enough to win. He then looked like he was on his way to a win over Johnny Walker until Walker’s controversial illegal knee resulted in a no contest. In the rematch, he hammered Walker with a right hand to leave no doubt as to who would win.
It’s been nine months since that win, and the UFC has decided that Ankalaev must pass one more test before challenging the champion.
You had your chance
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Alex Pereira sends Jiří Procházka to the mat with a stunning head kick
Alex Pereira wasted no time in the second round, coming out strong and finishing with a knockout at UFC 303.
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Jamaal Hill (12-2), 33 years old
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Jiri Prochazka (30-5-1), 31 years old
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Khalil Rountree Jr. (13-6), 34 years old
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Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1), 41 years old
This quartet of fighters all fell against Pereira. Only Blachowicz managed to go the distance. Considering that these fights took place within 15(!) months, it’s unlikely that any of these fighters would compete for the title without beating each other up first.
Hill and Procházka are former titleholders who have never recorded a title defense. Both were forced to vacate their titles due to injury and were violently reinstated by Pereria when they tried to reclaim what they thought was theirs. Blachowicz welcomed Pereira to the division in 2023 but dropped the decision to the Brazilian in a back-and-forth battle. He has not fought since. Rountree achieved a rare moral victory for taking a huge amount of punishment against Pereira.
To be clear, all four fighters have a legitimate case for a rematch with Pereira (except Prochazka, to whom he has lost twice), as they are in the upper crust of the division. But the UFC wants new matchups for Pereira, so these fighters will all have to bring back one of the newcomers to re-enter the “Poatan” sweepstakes.
In the mix
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Carlos Olberg needs just 12 seconds to finish off Alonzo Menifield
Carlos Olberg finished Alonzo Menifield in just 12 seconds at UFC Fight Night.
These fighters may not deserve a title shot right now, but they might get one anyway.
Ulberg and Murzakanov are both light heavyweights on the rise, but their biggest wins in the 205-pound division were against Alonzo Menifield, meaning they have work to do before they can build a legitimate claim to challenge for the title. As for Krylov, he has been assigned to face Murzakanov at UFC 309, where a loss would take him out of the conversation. But they are all in the fortunate position of being a new face to Pereira, and an exceptional performance in their next fight could propel them to the top of the conversation.
Rakic is the wild card in this conversation. He has lost two matches in a row but he is the man standing in the way of Ankalaev getting a title shot. If he pulls off the upset, the UFC may decide he can compete for the title next.
Realistically, all four need two wins before they can be considered legitimate title contenders. This means that they will likely encounter someone from the “You Had Your Chance” crew.
Gatekeepers
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Volkan Oezdemir finishes Bogdan Guskov with a rear-naked choke
Volkan Oezdemir finished off challenger Bogdan Guskov by submitting him with a rear-naked choke in the first round.
Three of these four fighters have challenged for the title before (Smith, Oezdemir and Reyes), while the other just can’t seem to string together enough wins to get his own (Walker). It appears that their time as title contenders is over, and they have been tasked with protecting the entrance so that potential contenders can access it.
Smith had a chance at light heavyweight gold in 2019 against Jones and has gone 6-6 since falling short. Ozdemir’s opportunity returned in 2018 when Cormier, the then champion, stopped him in the second round. He has gone 5-5 since the loss. Reyes famously pushed Jones to the limit in 2020 in a fight that many fans thought he did enough to win. Instead of getting an immediate rematch, Reyes fell off the table completely by going 1-3 in his next four fights.
Walker was supposed to finally put it all together, but he failed to do so, going 4-5 with no contest since 2020.
They are all long shots for making her way back into the main picture, and will instead be viewed as stepping stones for light heavyweight prospects who want to move up the rankings.
Strangers
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Emba Kasanganayi dominates with a first-round TKO
Impa Kasnganay picked up six points in the PFL light heavyweight standings with a quick win over Alex Polizzi.
Kasanganay and Anderson are two former UFC fighters who left the promotion and made waves elsewhere. Anderson is the Bellator light heavyweight champion, while Kasanganay is trying to win his second straight PFL light heavyweight championship.
It’s hard to know where these fighters fit into the current UFC lightweight landscape, considering both left the promotion after losses. Kasanganay campaigned as a welterweight and middleweight before trying his hand at light heavyweight in the PFL, while Anderson had an up-and-down career in the UFC but appears to have put it all together in Bellator.
If they return to the UFC, will they be major players? It’s hard to know. Given their recent success, both could be interesting options for Pereira if he runs out of opponents.
