Brett OkamotoApr 12, 2026, 12:05 PM ET
Close Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.Multiple Authors
It’s true, there’s a new champion at light heavyweight, and he’s on quite a hot streak. Carlos Ulberg knocked out former champion Jiří Procházka in the first round at UFC 327 to claim the title in his 10th consecutive victory. The only problem is that he also appeared to have suffered a leg injury that could put his immediate title defense in jeopardy.
What the UFC decides to do next depends on the severity of Ulberg’s injury. While we wait for more information on that front, here are a few possible scenarios for him and athletes who earned statement wins in Miami.
Carlos Ulberg, light heavyweight champion
Who should be next: Khalil Rountree Jr.
This division is cursed, right? Procházka was forced to vacate the championship in 2022, Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought to a draw in a December 2022 title bout and Jamahal Hill was forced to vacate in 2023. Now Ulberg potentially blows out his knee, while becoming champ. The other crazy part about this is that even if his injury is not severe, there aren’t many obvious options for his first title defense. If it turns out he’s in a position to defend somewhat soon, I don’t mind seeing the opportunity go to Rountree (or Ankalaev, for that matter). Both fighters are coming off losses, but what other options are there? Rountree was neck-and-neck with Procházka when they fought in October. His performance was more inspiring than Ankalaev’s was in a loss to Alex Pereira on the same card. Neither is a perfect option for a title fight, but if Ulberg is healthy enough to fight, Rountree is the best option.
Wild card: Interim title fight
If Ulberg’s knee injury is serious, we’re looking at an interim title fight, with him squaring off against the winner — maybe not until next year.
Paulo Costa, light heavyweight
Who should be next: Khamzat Chimaev
Chimaev has made it clear he wants to move up from middleweight to light heavyweight. Would he get an immediate title fight? Probably. Costa and Chimaev had a lot of animosity a few years ago, and they were supposed to fight in 2023, until Costa had to pull out with an infected elbow. If Chimaev defends his title against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in May, he’ll want to move up. If he loses his belt in May, he’ll still want to move up. Why not rebook this fight at 205 pounds with the understanding that the winner goes on to fight for the belt?
Wild card: Magomed Ankalaev
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Whatever Costa’s next move is, it should be at 205 pounds. He looked good at this weight against Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327. I don’t see any reason he should return to that big middleweight weight cut. At first glance, Ankalaev doesn’t seem like the right fight for Costa. Ankalaev is the UFC’s second-ranked light heavyweight, and Costa just got his first win in the weight class. Ankalaev is also a horrible matchup for just about anyone. Should the UFC throw Costa to someone like that, just when he seems to have found his groove again? The more I think about it, yes, actually. Let’s do it. Costa says he wants to fight the best, and he’s never shied away from any particular stylistic matchup. Imagine if he were to beat Ankalaev? He’d immediately legitimize himself as a true title contender at light heavyweight.
Aaron Pico, featherweight
Aaron Pico, right, beat Patricio Pitbull, left, by unanimous decision at UFC 327 on Saturday night. Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLCWho should be next: Jean Silva
This matchup would be an on-paper candidate for fight of the year, as long as it lasted. Just two violent, all-offense featherweights with bad intentions. They are both 29 years old. They each experienced a learning curve recently — Pico against Lerone Murphy, Silva against Diego Lopes. They both rebounded beautifully in their next appearances. It might feel like an unearned opportunity for Pico, as he was unranked going into Saturday, but let’s just be honest, Pico’s potential still counts for something. The fact that he lost his UFC debut to an unbeaten fighter in Murphy does not stop me from wanting to see him in an opportunity like this, against the No. 6-ranked fighter in the division.
Wild card: Kevin Vallejos
There are a lot of good options … Vallejos, winner of Lopes vs. Steve Garcia in June, winner of Arnold Allen vs. Melquizael Costa in May. Nothing is wrong with any of these. Vallejos is the most exciting, though. He is only 24 years old and looks like a problem for the division. The winner of this matchup would jump into the Top 10, with a ton of momentum.
Tatiana Suarez, strawweight
Who should be next: Virna Jandiroba
The only suggestion that makes sense, really — unless Zhang Weili doesn’t immediately challenge for the 115-pound title she relinquished last year to move up to flyweight. But Zhang will likely move down, leaving Suarez out of immediate title contention. She and Jandiroba have already been booked to fight twice — in 2023 and 2024 — but both dates fell through because of injury. Suarez is a victim of bad timing, as her only loss came against Zhang, but she might be the second-best strawweight in the world. For now, though, the title shot opportunity likely doesn’t come next, which makes Jandiroba the obvious matchup.
Wild card: Mackenzie Dern
If Zhang’s next fight isn’t against Dern in the relatively near future, Suarez becomes the clear-cut No. 1 contender. The stylistic matchup between Suarez and the new champion is an enticing one — Suarez’s wrestling pedigree vs. Dern’s world-class jiu-jitsu.
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