MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Paulo Costa of Brazil reacts after his victory over Azamat Murzakanov of Russia, not pictured, via knockout in a light heavyweight bout during UFC 327 at the Kaseya Center on April 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) | Getty Images Magomed Ankalaev may have beaten Bogdan Guskov at UFC Abu Dhabi, but he didn’t do any favors for his reputation as a boring fighter. You can’t really blame “Big Ank” fully for the stinker of a main event with Guskov, who basically stopped fighting halfway through the bout and just played defense. Whoever’s to blame, the 5th round TKO win for Ankalaev (highlights here) won’t have anyone clamoring for the Dagestani to jump right back into a light heavyweight title fight. That’s cool with current 205 pound champion Carlos Ulberg, who is sitting on the sidelines nursing a blown out knee. There’s been talk of an interim title potentially coming into play, but at this moment there’s absolutely no one at the top of the division being robbed of an opportunity to fight for the belt. So why not a tournament instead? Ulberg was in Abu Dhabi to witness Ankalaev’s win and gave the Dagestani fighter some lukewarm props for his performance. After a day to think about things, he’s put his matchmaker’s cap on and has some suggestions for the division. 100% agree pic.twitter.com/XroW6CLwKf — max 🇳🇿 (!) (@KaiKaraNZ) July 26, 2026 “After last night’s fights, here’s my thoughts,” Ulberg wrote on Instagram. “Ankalaev vs. Jiri [Prochazka]. Give them both a full camp. It’s a fight the division deserves, and stylistically it’s one the fans would love to see. [Paulo] Costa vs. [Khalil] Rountree. That’s the wildcard. High risk, high reward.” “Someone’s leaving with serious momentum,” he concluded. “By the time the dust settles… I’ll be ready. Whoever earns it. See you in 2027.” The UFC isn’t a big fan of tournaments, official or otherwise. But they do like setting up two contender fights and picking the winner of the more exiting match move on to a title opportunity. Ulberg’s fight picks aren’t bad, although we’d rather see Prochazka fight Costa. The tournament format also ignores the very real chance that Costa will leave the UFC for free agency after one more fight. The 205 pound division is in a bit of a lurch with it’s promotional papa Alex Pereira gone to heavyweight (for now) and its champion out until 2027 with a knee injury. The best way to fix the situation is let the top five slug it out over the next six months and hope someone shows some warrior spirit in the cage that brings the excitement back.