Who will fight for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title?
The UFC light heavyweight title has bounced from fighter to fighter since Jon Jones left the division. The belt is once again up for the taking as Jamahal Hill relinquished the title after suffering a ruptured Achilles. The UFC is now left to find two fighters to compete for the vacant belt. Let’s take a look at the potential options and determine what is the most plausible title fight.
Jiri Prochazka
The most obvious choice to fight for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title is Jiri Prochazka. The belt belonged to Prochazka at one point, but he was forced to relinquish the title after injuring his shoulder in preparation for a title defense at UFC 282.
Prochazka will undoubtedly fight for the title in his return. If he is healthy, he will be involved in the next UFC light heavyweight title fight. If he is not healthy, he could get pushed out of the fold as the UFC opts to quickly find a new champion.
Alongside his status as a former champion, Prochazka is also one of the most entertaining fighters in the division. If the promotion wants to ensure fans are excited about the next title fight, Prochazka is a home run selection.
Jan Blachowicz & Alex Pereira
Jan Blachowicz and Alex Pereira will be involved in the light heavyweight title picture in one way or another. The pair are currently scheduled to fight at UFC 291 which naturally ties their championship hopes together.
The Blachowicz and Pereira bout creates two possible situations. The first is that the pair will fight for the belt. The second is that the bout serves as a No. 1 contender bout.
If the UFC wanted, they could add some gold to UFC 291. The quickest way to crown a new champion would be to put a title on the line between Blachowicz and Pereira. It would not be a shock, either. Blachowicz and Pereira are both former champions. Blachowicz was the first light heavyweight champion in Jones’ absence while Pereira earned the middleweight title with a win over Israel Adesanya.
The idea of putting a belt on the UFC 291 co-main event does have some issues.
To start, it is reasonable to question if either fighter deserves a title fight. After all, this will be Pereira’s divisional debut while Blachowicz fought to a draw against Magomed Ankalaev in his last attempt for UFC gold. On top of that, there are some logistical issues around making the co-main event a title bout when the main event features a fight for the ‘BMF’ belt.
The card is set to take place in two weeks and it is too late to elevate Blachowicz and Pereira to the main event. That would leave a UFC title fight as a co-main event to a ‘BMF’ title fight. That would be an awful look for the light heavyweight division.
It is much more likely that Blachowicz and Pereira fight for a No. 1 contender position. That would absolve all of the aforementioned logistical issues as the winner would be coming off a meaningful victory and they would be able to headline a card.
Magomed Ankalaev
The final name that will be considered while booking the next UFC light heavyweight title fight is Magomed Ankalaev. Ankalaev has impressed throughout his career as he has gone 18-1-1. In his last bout, as previously mentioned, he fought to a draw against Blachowicz.
The draw against Blachowicz damages Ankalaev’s title chances. Unlike Blachowicz, he does not have a fight booked which makes it even harder to overcome that hill. In fairness, a lot of people thought Ankalaev won that bout, and a lot of media members scored it in his favor. At the same time, the Verdict MMA scorecard can justify a draw. The only thing we do not know is how the UFC views that bout.
Regardless of how you view Ankalaev’s first chance a gold, he is the most likely title candidate outside of Prochazka, Blachowicz and Pereira.
The most realistic way for Ankalaev to find himself in a UFC light heavyweight title fight revolves around Prochazka’s health. If Prochazka is healthy, the UFC could immediately book Prochazka and Anakalev. That would leave the winner between Blachowicz and Pereira to fight the champion. The health of Prochazka is crucial because the longer he sits out, the longer Blachowicz and Pereira have to recover for a title fight.
The Verdict
The table is set with the realistic contenders, so who gets the fight?
I think the next UFC light heavyweight title fight will be Prochazka against the winner of Blachowicz and Pereira. If I were in charge, I would make the same decision. I am in favor of letting Prochazka walk back into a title fight. It is fairly simple, he had the belt and lost it because of injury. It should not be controversial to say he should fight for gold.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Blachowciz and Pereira bout will be coming off an elite win. That should be valued higher than Ankalaev sitting on a controversial draw.
I do think Ankalaev has a real chance of getting the fight. As I said, I do not think that is the direction the UFC goes. That said, if Prochazka’s timetable does not line up with Blachowicz or Pereira, the UFC can easily justify giving the bout to Ankalaev.
In short, the next light heavyweight title bout will likely be between Prochazka and the winner between Blachowicz and Pereira. If needed, Ankalaev can fill in to fight the former.
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