3 options for next UFC light heavyweight title fight

The last eight months have been anything but kind to the UFC light heavyweight division.

Less than a year after Jiri Prochazka relinquished the 205-pound title due to a shoulder injury, Jamahal Hill did the same earlier this week, announcing he had ruptured his Achilles tendon. He needs to undergo surgery and will be out of action "for a while."

"The show must go on," Hill, visibly emotional, said in a video on his YouTube channel.

On a larger scale, the light heavyweight division has been unstable for the last three years. In that time, five fighters have been champion, and this is the third time that someone has vacated the UFC light heavyweight title. Jon Jones gave up the belt in August 2020 to focus on the heavyweight division. He's now the UFC heavyweight champion. (And that's not to mention Daniel Cormier also relinquished the light heavyweight title five years ago.) Since Jones' final 205-pound title defense in February 2020 against Dominick Reyes, the belt has been successfully defended only once.

Ironically, Hill became champion in January in a fight that was never supposed to happen. Ranked No. 7 in the division (and still presumably at least one win away from a title shot), he got the call to face Glover Teixeira for the vacant belt after a December vacant title bout between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev ended in a draw. Blachowicz-Ankalaev is the fight the UFC booked when Prochazka gave up the belt, but then the promotion turned to the Hill-Teixeira matchup.

Prochazka set a precedent of sorts. Rarely do champions decide to surrender their title after suffering an injury, even a significant one, or for any other reason. Typically, they sit on the sidelines, and contenders resort to fighting other contenders. The UFC might create an interim title if it needs to fill a pay-per-view slot. Under extraordinary circumstances, the promotion may strip a fighter of their title but usually only because of inactivity or outside-the-cage issues.

Either way, Prochazka's decision was an uncommon one. And if it wasn't for him, perhaps Hill would've taken a different route.

Relinquishing the light heavyweight title wasn't an easy call for Hill to make. But he knew it was necessary, that it would be in the best interest of the division to follow in Prochazka's footsteps. It'll keep the weight class moving and not delay championship opportunities for worthy contenders.

So, with Hill sidelined for the foreseeable future, what comes next at 205 pounds? Here are three paths the UFC could take in crowning a new light heavyweight king.

The likely option: Prochazka faces Blachowicz-Pereira winner for vacant title

Prochazka is fully recovered from his shoulder injury and appears close to a return. Given he never lost the light heavyweight title in the Octagon after dethroning Teixeira in June 2022 and was expected to challenge Hill for the strap next, it's highly likely Prochazka will be involved in the upcoming vacant title fight.

As far as an opponent goes, it's not surprising Prochazka mentioned on Twitter the winner of the UFC 291 bout between Blachowicz and Alex Pereira as a possibility.

The stakes of the July 29 co-main event are certainly bigger than they were 48 hours ago, as the timing seems perfect for the winner to face Prochazka in late 2023. The UFC would be especially eager if that turns out to be Pereira. The former middleweight champion immediately became someone to watch at 205 pounds when he announced he was moving up in weight a few months ago. (Looking way too far ahead, if Pereira does well in the division and wins the belt, that could set up a mega trilogy bout with current middleweight champ Israel Adesanya.)

Blachowicz-Pereira might've already been a No. 1 contender bout before Hill vacated the title. The winner probably would've been in line to face the winner of Hill-Prochazka. But now it's almost a guarantee that Blachowicz and Pereira are one win away from a title shot.

While Prochazka-Blachowicz is fine matchmaking, Prochazka-Pereira could be absolute fireworks, given how exciting both men are in the striking department. That fight, in particular, would be a slam-dunk main event for the end of the year.

The easy option: Blachowicz-Pereira upgraded to vacant title fight

If the UFC wants to be proactive and quickly sort out the murky 205-pound waters, few people would complain if the promotion made Blachowicz-Pereira for the vacant title.

Of course, neither Blachowicz nor Pereira deserves a shot at UFC gold without scoring one more victory. Blachowicz is coming off that split draw with Ankalaev, and many fans think Ankalaev won the fight. Meanwhile, Pereira dropped the middleweight title to Adesanya by a vicious knockout in April. The Brazilian hasn't fought once as a light heavyweight in the UFC. So, it would look quite odd for Blachowicz and Pereira to fight for the vacant title, given their recent results.

But the words deserve and merit hold little meaning in MMA. The UFC brass books fights all the time that don't make sense from a sporting standpoint. Blachowicz-Pereira is a big fight, and attaching the vacant title to it would bolster UFC 291 even more. Then Prochazka could challenge the winner later this year.

The right option: Prochazka, Ankalaev meet for vacant title

Some of you are probably shaking your heads right now.

It's pretty obvious that a fight between Prochazka and Ankalaev is the UFC's least sexy option. That matchup doesn't have Fight of the Year written all over it as Prochazka-Pereira does. But even though it wasn't on anyone's radars at the start of the week, Prochazka-Ankalaev is the vacant title fight that should happen.

It's well-documented why Prochazka should be included at this point. As far as Ankalaev's case for a title shot goes, he arguably should've ended 2022 as the light heavyweight champion. Twenty-three of 25 media members who submitted scorecards to MMADecisions.com for his fight against Blachowicz had Ankalaev winning. Had the judges agreed, we could've been gearing up for a summer Ankalaev title defense versus Teixeira - oh, how one scorecard shakes up a division!

Ankalaev, who hails from Dagestan, was riding an impressive nine-fight winning streak before the draw with Blachowicz - and he still hasn't lost a fight since his UFC debut in March 2018.

UFC president Dana White was critical of Ankalaev after the Blachowicz fight, so it would be a bit of a surprise if he's one of the two men who vie for the vacant title. But the Russian deserves another chance to prove he's the very best. And then the Blachowicz-Pereira winner could challenge for the belt after that.