UFC light heavyweight tiers: Pereira’s challengers, rising prospects, outsiders

From 2011 to 2020, the UFC’s light heavyweight division was anchored by two individuals: Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. Jones carried the 205-pound title twice, with his initial tenure lasting 1,501 days and his second run lasting 597 days. When Jones wasn’t champion due to his transgressions outside of the Octagon, Cormier held the world title for 1,315 days.

But once Jones and Cormier departed, the division struggled with stability and lacked an identity. From September 2020 to January 2023, four fighters held the world title (Jan Blachowicz, Jamahal Hill, Jiří Procházka and Glover Teixeira), with only Blachowicz securing a successful title defense.

Many fans wondered where the division was heading.

And then Alex Pereira arrived, dropped his anchor and became the dominant force the division needed.

After his successful title defense at UFC 307 against Khalil Rountree Jr. — his third in 176 days — Periera has firmly etched his name in the history books as one of the greatest ever in the division. But what about the rest of the current 205-pounders? Can anybody 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.

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The elite

What Pereira has accomplished since arriving in the light heavyweight division in July 2023 has been nothing short of extraordinary. Remember that Pereira entered the division after a knockout loss, when he dropped the middleweight title to Israel Adesanya earlier that year. He squeezed by Blachowicz with a split decision in his 205-pound debut. Then, with a badly injured knee, he went on an inexplicable tear that made him must-see TV.

Pereira is arguably the most violent, yet technically sound striker in UFC history. He has yet to come close to losing ever since capturing light heavyweight gold. In less than a year, he is already third all-time in light heavyweight title fight wins with four, tied with Cormier and one behind Chuck Liddell. At age 37, it is unlikely Pereira will come close to Jones’ remarkable 14 title fight wins, but he’s already proven that he is among the elite in the entire UFC.

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Next in line

Ankalaev has done nearly everything to warrant a crack at the champion. One can argue that he was far more deserving than Rountree and was passed over due to the UFC favoring an opponent who would stand and bang with Pereira rather than threaten to grapple. Nevertheless, he was passed over and now the Dagestani fighter has to prove himself once more against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 in a fight that makes no sense. He’s currently the biggest threat to Pereira due to his grappling ability, but the UFC has 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 with a split draw in a bout that many fans thought Ankalaev did enough to win. He then appeared to be on his way to a victory against Johnny Walker until a controversial illegal knee to Walker resulted in a no contest. In the rematch, he blasted Walker with a pair of right hands to leave no doubt who won.

It’s been nine months since that win, and the UFC has decided that Ankalaev must pass one more test before challenging the champion.

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You had your chance

• Jamahal Hill (12-2), 33 years old

• Jiří Procházka (30-5-1), 31 years old

• Khalil Rountree Jr. (13-6), 34 years old

• 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 happened within 15 (!) months, it’s unlikely that any of these fighters will challenge for the title without beating up on each other first.

Hill and Procházka are former titleholders who never recorded a title defense. Both were forced to vacate their title due to injury and were violently turned back by Pereria when they tried to reclaim what they thought was theirs. Blachowicz welcomed Pereira to the division in 2023 but dropped a decision to the Brazilian in a back-and-forth battle. He hasn’t fought since. Rountree gained the rare moral victory for withstanding an inordinate amount of punishment against Pereira.

To be clear, all four fighters have a legitimate argument to get a rematch with Pereira (except Procházka, who lost to him twice), as they are in the upper crust of the division. But the UFC wants fresh matchups for Pereira, so these fighters will all have to turn back an up-and-comer to reenter the “Poatan” lottery.

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In the mix

These fighters may not deserve a title opportunity right now, but they could get one anyway.

Ulberg and Murzakanov are light heavyweights on the rise, but their biggest wins in the 205-pound division are against Alonzo Menifield, meaning they have work to do before they can construct a legitimate claim to challenge for the title. As for Krylov, he’s been tasked with facing Murzakanov at UFC 309, where a loss will push him out of the conversation. But they all are in the fortunate position of being a fresh face for Pereira, and an exceptional performance in their next fight could push them to the top of the conversation.

Rakic is the wild card in this conversation. He’s lost two in a row but is the man standing in the way of Ankalaev’s title opportunity. If he pulls off the upset, the UFC could decide he could challenge for the title next.

Realistically, all four need two wins before they can be considered legitimate title contenders. And that would mean they would likely have to face someone from the “You Had Your Chance” crew.

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The gatekeepers

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 number called (Walker). Their time as contenders for the title appears to have passed, and they have been relegated to protecting the entrance for potential contenders to come crashing through.

Smith had his chance at light heavyweight gold in 2019 against Jones and has gone 6-6 since falling short. Oezdemir’s opportunity came back in 2018 when then-champion Cormier 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 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.

It was assumed that Walker would eventually put it all together, but he has underwhelmed, going 4-5 with a no contest since 2020.

They are all long shots to claw their way back into the title picture and instead will be seen as stepping stones for light heavyweight prospects who want to climb into the rankings.

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The outsiders

Kasanganay and Anderson are former UFC fighters who left the promotion and made waves elsewhere. Anderson is the Bellator light heavyweight champion, while Kasanganay is attempting to win a second consecutive PFL light heavyweight tournament.

It’s hard to tell where these fighters fit in the current landscape of UFC light heavyweights, considering that both left the promotion after a loss. Kasanganay campaigned as both 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 seems to have put it all together in Bellator.

If they returned to the UFC, would they be major players? It’s hard to tell. Considering their recent success, both could be intriguing options for Pereira if he runs out of opponents.