This past Saturday co-main event of UFC London, we saw a massive matchup in the light heavyweight division. Former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz (29-11-1) returned after nearly two years away to take on rising top contender Carlos Ulberg (12-1).
This fight was huge for both men. For Blachowicz, he needed to return to winning form and he needed to show that he’s still one of the top fighters in the world at 42-years-old. For Ulberg, he needed that signature win to prove that he’s ready for title contention.
I was expecting a little more action out of this fight on Saturday night. There wasn’t a ton of heat in this matchup and it turned into a really technical kickboxing match that featured a ton of leg kicks. Blachowicz was moving forward the majority of the fight and Ulberg was throwing with a little more volume. Nothing major landed throughout the three rounds which resulted in a very close fight. In the end, all three judges gave the win at UFC London to Carlos Ulberg.
What’s next after UFC London?
With the win on Saturday, Ulberg has now won eight fights in a row after losing his octagon debut. The new rankings came out and Ulberg is now ranked third in the light heavyweight division. The question now becomes, is a title shot going to be next for Ulberg?
Well, it depends on how things shake out at 205. Magomed Ankalaev just took the title from Alex Pereira and Dana White hinted that Pereira would get an immediate rematch if Pereira is healthy. My assumption is that Ankalaev and Pereira will run things back for the title which means that Ulberg will not get the next shot.
I think that Ulberg’s next fight is likely going to be a title eliminator against the man ranked right in front of him, Jiri Prochazka. Prochazka will make any fight exciting and that would be a massive test for Ulberg. I think this will clearly be the next fight for Ulberg unless Pereira takes more time off and the UFC gives the next title shot to Prochazka.
In that case, I would look at the winner of the Jamahal Hill – Khalil Rountree fight for Ulberg’s next matchup. All that being said, unless several people get hurt, I don’t see a title fight in the cards for Ulberg next.