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Andreas Hale, ESPN
From 2011 to 2020, the UFC’s gentle heavyweight division was anchored by two people: Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. Jones carried the 205-pound title twice, along with his preliminary tenure lasting 1,501 days and his second run lasting 597 days. When Jones wasn’t champion due to his transgressions exterior of the Octagon, Cormier held the world title for 1,315 days.
However as soon as Jones and Cormier departed, the division struggled with stability and lacked an identification. From September 2020 to January 2023, 4 fighters held the world title (Jan Blachowicz, Jamahal Hill, Jiří Procházka and Glover Teixeira), with solely Blachowicz securing a profitable title protection.
Many followers questioned the place the division was heading.
After which Alex Pereira arrived, dropped his anchor and have become the dominant pressure the division wanted.
After his successful title defense at UFC 307 in opposition to Khalil Rountree Jr. — his third in 176 days — Periera has firmly etched his title within the historical past books as one of many best ever within the division. However what about the remainder of the present 205-pounders? Can anyone usurp “Poatan” from his throne?
This is a take a look at the present panorama of the UFC’s gentle heavyweight division, damaged down into tiers, offering a clearer image of the place the division stands behind Pereira.
Contents
The elite
What Pereira has achieved since arriving within the gentle heavyweight division in July 2023 has been nothing wanting extraordinary. Keep in mind that Pereira entered the division after a knockout loss, when he dropped the middleweight title to Israel Adesanya earlier that yr. He squeezed by Blachowicz with a cut up resolution 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 essentially the most violent, but technically sound striker in UFC historical past. He has but to return near shedding ever since capturing gentle heavyweight gold. In lower than a yr, he’s already third all-time in gentle heavyweight title struggle wins with 4, tied with Cormier and one behind Chuck Liddell. At age 37, it’s unlikely Pereira will come near Jones’ exceptional 14 title struggle wins, however he is already confirmed that he’s among the many elite in the complete UFC.
Subsequent in line
Ankalaev has completed practically every little thing to warrant a crack on the champion. One can argue that he was much more deserving than Rountree and was handed over as a result of UFC favoring an opponent who would stand and bang with Pereira moderately than threaten to grapple. However, he was handed over and now the Dagestani fighter has to show himself as soon as extra in opposition to Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 in a struggle that is senseless. He is at present the largest menace to Pereira attributable to his grappling capacity, however the UFC has determined to make him wait.
Attempting to determine the place Ankalaev went mistaken is a idiot’s errand. He fought Blachowicz for the vacant title in 2022 and ended up with a cut up attract a bout that many followers thought Ankalaev did sufficient to win. He then seemed to be on his approach to a victory in opposition to Johnny Walker till a controversial unlawful knee to Walker resulted in a no contest. Within the rematch, he blasted Walker with a pair of proper fingers to depart little doubt who gained.
It has been 9 months since that win, and the UFC has determined that Ankalaev should move yet one more take a look at earlier than difficult the champion.
You had your probability
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Jamahal Hill (12-2), 33 years previous
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Jiří Procházka (30-5-1), 31 years previous
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Khalil Rountree Jr. (13-6), 34 years previous
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Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1), 41 years previous
This quartet of fighters all fell in opposition to Pereira. Solely Blachowicz managed to go the space. Contemplating that these fights occurred inside 15 (!) months, it is unlikely that any of those fighters will problem for the title with out beating up on one another first.
Hill and Procházka are former titleholders who by no means recorded a title protection. Each had been compelled to vacate their title attributable to harm and had been violently turned again by Pereria after they tried to reclaim what they thought was theirs. Blachowicz welcomed Pereira to the division in 2023 however dropped a choice to the Brazilian in a back-and-forth battle. He hasn’t fought since. Rountree gained the uncommon ethical victory for withstanding an inordinate quantity of punishment in opposition to Pereira.
To be clear, all 4 fighters have a reputable argument to get a rematch with Pereira (besides Procházka, who misplaced to him twice), as they’re within the higher crust of the division. However the UFC needs contemporary matchups for Pereira, so these fighters will all have to show again an up-and-comer to reenter the “Poatan” lottery.
Within the combine
These fighters might not deserve a title alternative proper now, however they may get one anyway.
Ulberg and Murzakanov are gentle heavyweights on the rise, however their greatest wins within the 205-pound division are in opposition to Alonzo Menifield, that means they’ve work to do earlier than they will assemble a reputable declare to problem for the title. As for Krylov, he is been tasked with dealing with Murzakanov at UFC 309, the place a loss will push him out of the dialog. However all of them are within the lucky place of being a contemporary face for Pereira, and an distinctive efficiency of their subsequent struggle might push them to the highest of the dialog.
Rakic is the wild card on this dialog. He is misplaced two in a row however is the person standing in the way in which of Ankalaev’s title alternative. If he pulls off the upset, the UFC might determine he might problem for the title subsequent.
Realistically, all 4 want two wins earlier than they are often thought of reputable title contenders. And that may imply they might probably need to face somebody from the “You Had Your Likelihood” crew.
The gatekeepers
Three of those 4 fighters have challenged for the title earlier than (Smith, Oezdemir and Reyes), whereas the opposite simply can not seem to string collectively sufficient wins to get his quantity known as (Walker). Their time as contenders for the title seems to have handed, they usually have been relegated to defending the doorway for potential contenders to return crashing by.
Smith had his chance at gentle heavyweight gold in 2019 in opposition to Jones and has gone 6-6 since falling brief. Oezdemir’s alternative got here again in 2018 when then-champion Cormier stopped him within the second spherical. He has gone 5-5 because the loss. Reyes famously pushed Jones to the restrict in 2020 in a struggle many followers thought he did sufficient to win. As an alternative of getting an instantaneous rematch, Reyes fell off the desk utterly by going 1-3 in his subsequent 4 fights.
It was assumed that Walker would finally put all of it collectively, however he has underwhelmed, going 4-5 with a no contest since 2020.
They’re all lengthy photographs to claw their means again into the title image and as an alternative will probably be seen as stepping stones for gentle heavyweight prospects who need to climb into the rankings.
The outsiders
Kasanganay and Anderson are former UFC fighters who left the promotion and made waves elsewhere. Anderson is the Bellator gentle heavyweight champion, whereas Kasanganay is making an attempt to win a second consecutive PFL gentle heavyweight match.
It is arduous to inform the place these fighters match within the present panorama of UFC gentle heavyweights, contemplating that each left the promotion after a loss. Kasanganay campaigned as each a welterweight and middleweight earlier than attempting his hand at gentle heavyweight within the PFL, whereas Anderson had an up-and-down profession within the UFC however appears to have put all of it collectively in Bellator.
In the event that they returned to the UFC, would they be main gamers? It is arduous to inform. Contemplating their current success, each might be intriguing choices for Pereira if he runs out of opponents.
