Carlos Ulberg is still on the sidelines recovering from the ACL tear he suffered while winning the light heavyweight title. But that hasn’t stopped him from running the division from a distance. Following UFC Abu Dhabi, where Magomed Ankalaev ground out a fifth-round finish over Bogdan Guskov, the champion took to social media with his own blueprint for who should fight next.
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“After last night’s fights, here’s my thoughts,” Ulberg wrote on his Instagram Story. “Ankalaev vs. Jiri. Give them both full camps. It’s a fight the division deserves, and stylistically, it’s one the fans would love to see. Costa vs. Rountree. That’s a wildcard. High risk, high reward. Someone’s leaving with serious momentum. By the time the dust settles, I’ll be ready. Whoever earns it. See you in 2027.”
Ankalaev’s win didn’t do much to settle the picture on its own. Guskov came in ranked No. 9, well below Ankalaev’s level, and the fight was widely seen as a slow, unremarkable affair that only turned decisive in the fifth round. That leaves Ankalaev needing a real statement, and Prochazka fits that bill both stylistically and personally, given the two have been trading “fraud” accusations dating back to when Ankalaev first won the title in 2025.
The Costa side of the equation is messier than it looks. Costa was actually the UFC’s first choice to replace an injured Rountree against Ankalaev in Abu Dhabi, but he turned the offer down over the short notice, the travel, and fighting five rounds for three-round pay with no interim title attached. Guskov stepped in instead, and Costa’s contract, which he says has just one fight left on it, got extended six months in the process. He’s since said he would rather use that final fight to chase an interim title outright.
Imago
Rountree, for his part, hasn’t revealed how serious his own injury is, leaving his timeline just as uncertain as everyone else’s in the division. But Costa’s path forward isn’t only about Rountree. There’s another former champion who thinks he deserves a say in who gets the next shot.
Carlos Ulberg might end up facing the winner of Ankalaev vs. Prochazka
Speaking to UFC’s broadcast team backstage in Abu Dhabi, Ulberg didn’t hide his lukewarm reaction to what he’d just watched.
“I saw what I needed to see, and I’ll make sure I do everything I can to get back in there,” Ulberg told UFC backstage in Abu Dhabi. “The division is a little shaky at the moment. No one is very dominant at the moment. I saw what I needed to see. I’ll leave it at that… I’ve always seen Ankalaev as a top contender. So he’s definitely one of the guys that will be up next as well.”
Complicating things further, former double champion Alex Pereira has said publicly that he could return to light heavyweight and get an immediate interim title shot whenever he wants, since his current run at heavyweight is more of a detour than a permanent move. That’s not something Costa particularly wants to hear while he’s angling for the same opportunity.
There’s precedent for the UFC rewarding a fighter with another title shot even after a recent loss to the champion, as with Diego Lopes getting a second crack at Alexander Volkanovski off the back of a win at UFC Noche. It wouldn’t be shocking if a strong showing from Prochazka earned him the same treatment against Ankalaev.
For now, Ulberg is staying out of the matchmaking fight entirely and focusing on his knee. He’s targeting early 2027 for his return, specifically to avoid rushing back and re-injuring himself before he’s ready to defend the belt against whoever’s left standing.
