The UFC light heavyweight division is entering 2026 with major uncertainty. Champion Alex Pereira is flirting with a move to heavyweight to chase a superfight with former titleholder Jon Jones, leaving the door wide open for contenders scrambling to position themselves for a title shot at 205 pounds.
Pereira has flirted with the idea of fighting at heavyweight, particularly at UFC's White House event and specifically against former 2-division champion Jon Jones. If he leaves, a vacant title fight between Prochazka and Ulberg makes a lot of sense. The 35-year-old "Black Jag" most-recently smoked Dominick Reyes in the first round of their main event bout to cement himself among the division's elite, making Carlos Ulberg the presumptive No. 1 contender right now.
It's difficult arguing against what Jiří Procházka did in 2025. The former light heavyweight champ started the year with a banger, outshooting Jamahal Hill and knocking the fellow former champion in the third round of their UFC 311 bout. He passed on a chance to fight for the belt in lieu of pursuing his master's degree (an incredibly Prochazka thing to do) and returned at UFC 320 where he overwhelmed Khalil Rountree Jr. in one of the most thrilling contests of the year. The former 205lb champion told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive interview that he is interested in a vacant title fight against 'Black Jag'. And since then, the 33-year-old has taken to social media to update his fans on the ongoing negotiations with the UFC regarding a fight against Ulberg, saying he wants to fight at the end of March.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa is officially moving up to Light Heavyweight for his next outing, where he will face No. 6–ranked undefeated contender Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327 on Sat., April 11, 2026, inside the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Murzakanov (16-0), who has quietly established himself as one of the division's most dangerous finishers since earning a UFC contract on Contender Series. The 36-year-old Russian has gone a perfect 6-0 inside the Octagon, scoring five knockouts along the way. The light heavyweight division is heating up fast—buckle up for a wild ride at 205 pounds.