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The Ultimate Guide to the UFC Light-Heavyweight Division

This article will rank and analyse the UFC light-heavyweight division, as we find out who Alex Pereira's main rivals are for 2025 and beyond.

Jake Staniland
Jake Staniland

Last Updated: 2025-01-07

Chad Nagel

7 minutes read

Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira//Getty Images

The UFC's light-heavyweight division, otherwise known as the 205-pounds weight class, still remains one of the most competitive divisions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship since its inception.

Long gone are the days of Frank Shamrock reign, and even Jon “Bones” Jones. Instead, there is a new sheriff in town, and he goes by the name of Alex “Poatan” Pereira. 

In this article, we will rank and analyse Alex Pereira's reign as champion, including his most notable rivals for his light-heavyweight title as we enter 2025.

Alex Pereira holds the record for the fewest MMA bouts to become a two-division UFC champion in history(11 bouts).

Methodology

Rankings and scores were based on the following criteria:

  1. Career Record (40%): Overall MMA record, emphasising wins, losses, and notable opponents.

  2. Title Reigns (30%): Number of title defences, duration of reigns, and dominance.

  3. Achievements (20%): UFC accolades, championship wins, and historical impact.

     

  4. Recent Performance (10%): Activity in the last three years, including win streaks and quality of opposition.

  5. Sources Used:

Critical Consensus: UFC Light Heavyweight Division 

The Critical Consensus Table includes information regarding each fighter’s official UFC rank, as well as Sportskeeda's ranking, plus their notable achievements.

Critical Consensus Table

RankFighterUFC RankSportskeeda RankNotable Achievements
1Alex PereiraChampionChampionCurrent champion with 3 title defenses, including victories over Jiří Procházka and Khalil Rountree Jr.
2Magomed AnkalaevNR1No. 1 contender; recent win over Aleksandar Rakić.
3Jiří ProcházkaNR2Former champion; known for his thrilling win over Glover Teixeira.
4Jamahal HillNR3Former champion; defeated Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 to claim the title.
5Jan BłachowiczNR4Former champion; first Polish UFC titleholder; victory over Dominick Reyes.
6Aleksandar RakićNR5Known for technical striking; notable contender.
7Carlos UlbergNR6Rising prospect with a strong win streak.
8Khalil Rountree Jr.NR7Tough competitor with dynamic striking.
9Nikita KrylovNR8On a win streak; solid performances in the division.
10Volkan OezdemirNR9Former title challenger; known for powerful striking.
11Johnny WalkerNR10Athletic and unorthodox; capable of big upsets.
12Dominick ReyesNR11Former title challenger; known for controversial fight with Jon Jones.
13Azamat MurzakanovNR12Undefeated with impressive wins; climbing the ranks.
14Bogdan GuskovNR13Recent victories highlight potential.
15Anthony SmithNR14Former title challenger; veteran presence in the division.
16Alonzo MenifieldNR15Powerful striker; solid contender.
Sportsboom Event Table Logo

SportsBoom MetaScale: UFC Light Heavyweight Champion & Contenders 

The SportsBoom MetaScale takes into account a fighters career record, their title reign, big achievements and their most recent performances.

SportsBoom MetaScale Table

Below, we have listed the fighter profiles for each fighter on the table above.

RankFighterCareer Record (40%)Title Reigns (30%)Achievements (20%)Recent Performance (10%)MetaScale Score
1Alex Pereira383020896
2Jiří Procházka352518785
3Magomed Ankalaev362015980
4Jamahal Hill332515578
5Jan Błachowicz322015572
6Carlos Ulberg300101050
7Khalil Rountree Jr.2808844
8Anthony Smith30010444
9Volkan Oezdemir27010542
10Nikita Krylov2908441
Sportsboom Event Table Logo

Fighter Profiles For UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion & Top Contenders

1. Alex Pereira

The current UFC light-heavyweight champion is Alex Pereira. The Brazilian has destroyed everything in his path in the 205-pounds division. Since defeating Jiri Procházka at UFC 295 for the vacant belt, “Poatan” has defended his belt three times, with all three of them coming via devastating knockout. Those three defences saw him set a record for the shortest time for three consecutive title defences in UFC history (175 days).

Pereira is simply one of the greatest strikers in mixed martial arts history and his legacy is already cemented. The scary part is: it seems like he could do this for as long as he wants.

2. Jiří Procházka

Jiri Procházka is a former UFC light-heavyweight champion, although he never successfully defended his title. Nevertheless, the Czech fighter is a must-watch when he steps into the Octagon. His hands-down crazy fighting style often sees him break down his opponent and deliver stunning finishes. On the flip side, his style means he is open to being hit. Across his 36 pro fights, 34 of those have finished inside the distance.

At just 32, Procházka is relatively young for an MMA fighter. But, the issue is that he's had plenty of wars over the last few years which have put miles on the clock.

3. Magomed Ankalaev

Many believe that Magomed Ankalaev is the one to dethrone Alex Pereira. Ankalaev hails from Dagestan, and anybody that knows MMA realises that means he comes from the elite of elite Sambo fighters, such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. Despite this, Ankalaev has barely shown his wrestling ability in the UFC. Instead, the Russian chooses to batter his opponents with his superb boxing skills.

4. Jamahal Hill

Jamahal Hil

Jamahal Hil//Getty Image

Jamahal Hill is another fighter on this list that has been the 205-pounds UFC champ but never successfully defended it. After trash talking Pereira in the buildup to UFC 300, Hill got turned into a meme when the current champ knocked him out cold.

At 33, and with just two losses to his name, Hill still has time to mount another title challenge.

5. Jan Błachowicz

Jan Blachowicz of Poland punches Alex Pereira of Brazil

Jan Blachowicz punches Alex Pereira//Getty Images

Jan Błachowicz perhaps had the weakest championship reign out of anybody in recent UFC history (last 4 years). After defeating Dominick Reyes for the vacant title, Błachowicz's only defence was against natural middleweight Israel Adesanya (which shouldn't count as a defence considering how much lighter Adesanya was to Błachowicz). Then, the Polish fighter would get absolutely mauled by an ageing Glover Teixeira to lose his belt at UFC 267.

6. Carlos Ulberg

Although Carlos Ulberg has been a professional MMA fighter for 14 years, he has only managed to have 12 fights in his career. On the plus side, he only has one loss to his name. Ulberg has slowly climbed up the light-heavyweight rankings having claimed two top wins in 2024, over Alonzo Menifield and Volkan Oezdemir. Now, 2025 could be an even better year for the New Zealand native.

7. Khalil Rountree

Even though he's coming off of a brutal finish against Alex Pereira, Khalil Rountree won pretty much everybody over who watched that fight at UFC 307. Rountree earned his title shot by savagely finishing opponents, ending four of his last five wins via knockout, including a leg kick TKO, and a body kick stoppage.

8. Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith is a veteran of the division; he's been in professional MMA for 17 years and he's been a top light-heavyweight contender since 2018. Despite this wealth of experience, “The Lionheart” has challenged for the title just once, this came back in 2019 against Jon Jones, in a fight where Jones was deducted two points for landing an illegal knee.

9. Volkan Oezdemir

Volkan Oezdemir is similar to Anthony Smith in the sense that he has been a top contender for years in the 205-pounds division, but he has never even challenged for the title. Nevertheless, Oezdemir has built up a great reputation because of his brutal knockout power in both hands, resulting in 13 of his 20 wins coming by stoppage.

10. Nikita Krylov

With a record of 30-9, including three consecutive wins over top opponents, Nikita Krylov has positioned himself in a great place for 2025. The Ukrainian has a great blend of striking and grappling. Remarkably, 28 of his 30 career wins have come inside the distance.

SportsBoom Suggests

Jon Jones remains the most dominant light-heavyweight champion, redefining the division's standards. But, Alex Pereira is establishing a legacy with decisive title defences and high-level striking, and if this path continues, he could come close to matching Jon Jones’ record for most consecutive UFC title defences in light-heavyweight history (8). Pereira is currently on 3.

Meanwhile, Jiří Procházka and Khalil Rountree's dynamic striking style keeps the division exciting for fans and analysts, as both produce stunning moments with every fight.

The UFC light-heavyweight division has showcased some of the most iconic fighters in MMA history. From early pioneers like Frank Shamrock to modern champions like Alex Pereira, each fighter contributed to the division's evolution.

Jake Staniland
Jake Staniland Sports Writer

Jake Staniland is a sports writer who excels in covering a wide range of sports: football, combat sports and the NFL - All three subjects are his lifelong passions.

Jake is a boyhood Sheffield United fan, which is often a curse that he thanks his family for. His favourite Blades player ever is Billy Sharp