Who's next for the light heavyweight title?
Champion: Carlos Ulberg. Most likely next title challenger: Magomed Ankalaev (40%, model estimate), Early 2027 (Ulberg's return target). Nothing announced..
Updated (UAE time) · Percentages are NextSmash model estimates, not facts or betting advice.
Light Heavyweight rankings and next fights
Media Panel board on ufc.com, checked 1 Oct 2026, with the Meta rank alongside. Champion plus Media top 15; risers are flagged inside the top 15. Alex Pereira is #3 here and #3 at heavyweight (Meta); his page is in this division. Next re-check: after UFC 332 (3 Oct). Ranks 16–30 are unofficial: a NextSmash formula, not a UFC ranking (see About).
| UFC official rankings · champion + Media panel top 15, from UFC.com | |
| C | Carlos Ulberg 15-1-0 · New Zealand · next: Magomed Ankalaev 40% |
| 1 | Magomed Ankalaev 22-2-1 · Russia · next: Carlos Ulberg 40% |
| 2 | Jiří Procházka 32-6-1 · Czechia · next: Navajo Stirling 92% |
| 3 | Alex Pereira 13-4-0 · Brazil · next: Sergei Pavlovich 35% |
| 4 | Khalil Rountree Jr. 14-7-0 · United States · next: Paulo Costa 18% |
| 5 | Navajo Stirling Riser 11-0-0 · New Zealand · next: Jiří Procházka 92% |
| 6 | Paulo Costa 16-4-0 · Brazil · next: Khalil Rountree Jr. 18% |
| 7 | Jamahal Hill 12-4-0 · United States · next: Khalil Rountree Jr. 13% |
| 8 | Azamat Murzakanov 16-1-0 · Russia · next: Dominick Reyes 92% |
| 9 | Jan Błachowicz 29-12-2 · Poland · next: Robert Whittaker 25% |
| 10 | Dominick Reyes 16-5-0 · United States · next: Azamat Murzakanov 92% |
| 11 | Bogdan Guskov 18-4-1 · Uzbekistan · next: Alonzo Menifield 18% |
| 12 | Robert Whittaker 27-9-0 · Australia · next: Jan Błachowicz 25% |
| 13 | Johnny Walker 22-10-0 · Brazil · next: Mick Parkin 92% |
| 14 | Alonzo Menifield 19-6-1 · United States · next: Bogdan Guskov 18% |
| 15 | Nikita Krylov 31-12-0 · Russia · next: Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev 92% |
| NextSmash unofficial ranks 16–30 · our formula, not a UFC ranking · how it works | |
| 16 | Reinier de Ridder Unofficial rank 22-4-0 · Netherlands · next: Muhammad Saidov 15% |
| 17 | Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev Riser Unofficial rank 10-0-0 · Türkiye · next: Nikita Krylov 92% |
| 18 | Billy Elekana Unofficial rank 10-2-0 · United States · next: Lucas Fernando 92% |
| 19 | Muhammad Saidov Riser Unofficial rank 10-0-0 · Russia · next: Reinier de Ridder 15% |
| 20 | Magomed Tuchalov Riser Unofficial rank 7-0-0 · Russia · next: Reinier de Ridder 12% |
| 21 | Luis Hernandez Riser Unofficial rank 9-0-0 · United States · next: Iwo Baraniewski 9% |
| 22 | Iwo Baraniewski Unofficial rank 9-1-0 · Poland · next: Luis Hernandez 9% |
| 23 | Volkan Oezdemir Unofficial rank 21-8-0 · Switzerland · next: Diyar Nurgozhay 8% |
| 24 | Diyar Nurgozhay Unofficial rank 12-2-0 · Kazakhstan · next: Volkan Oezdemir 8% |
| 25 | Lucas Fernando Riser Unofficial rank 14-3-0 · Brazil · next: Billy Elekana 92% |
| 26 | Liu Ce Unofficial rank 4-1-0 · China · next: Jimmy Crute 7% |
| 27 | Jimmy Crute Unofficial rank 14-4-2 · Australia · next: Dustin Jacoby 8% |
| 28 | Modestas Bukauskas Unofficial rank 21-7-0 · Lithuania · next: Dustin Jacoby 14% |
| 29 | Felipe Franco Unofficial rank 11-2-0 · Brazil · next: Brendson Ribeiro 92% |
| 30 | Dustin Jacoby Unofficial rank 22-10-1 · United States · next: Modestas Bukauskas 14% |
Ranked in the Meta top 15 only:
- Reinier De Ridder Meta #9 · Unofficial #16 here
- Muhammad Said Meta #15 · Unofficial #19 here
Booked light heavyweight fights
- UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan · Sat 10 Oct 2026 · Julius Walker vs Gerald Meerschaert, Felipe Franco vs Brendson Ribeiro
- UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev · Sat 24 Oct 2026 · Azamat Murzakanov vs Dominick Reyes, Nikita Krylov vs Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev
- UFC Fight Night: Bonfim vs Brady · Sat 7 Nov 2026 · Billy Elekana vs Lucas Fernando
- UFC Fight Night Qatar: Procházka vs Stirling · Sat 21 Nov 2026 · Jiří Procházka vs Navajo Stirling
Other divisions
Flyweight · Bantamweight · Featherweight · Lightweight · Welterweight · Middleweight · Heavyweight · Women's Strawweight · Women's Flyweight · Women's Bantamweight