Carlos Ulberg is hoping to defend his light heavyweight title early in 2027.
Ulberg tore his ACL when winning the belt in April, creating an unfortunate delay at the top of the 205-pound division.
Some argued that former champion Magomed Ankalaev deserved to be fighting for the belt earlier this year after being left out of the vacant title matchup.
Instead, the Russian made his return this past Saturday, which the current champion was in attendance for to watch up close.
- LATEST NEWS: Bogdan Guskov seemingly suggests Magomed Ankalaev rematch in first post after criticized main event
After returning to winning ways at UFC Abu Dhabi, what’s next for Magomed Ankalaev? 🤔
The Dagestani former champion finished Bogdan Guskov in a lackluster main event 😴
Carlos Ulberg plans to fight early in 2027 after seeing what he needed to see from Magomed Ankalaev
Carlos Ulberg was optimistic about his recovery when speaking in April about the steps he’d taken after undergoing surgery.
Despite this, the light heavyweight champion revealed at UFC Abu Dhabi that he doesn’t think he’ll fight again this year in order to avoid coming back too soon.
Ulberg told the UFC in a backstage interview after the event that he’s looking at returning early in 2027 in order to balance wanting to fight again soon but doing so safely.
‘Black Jag’ was also asked to share his reaction to the main event having previously identified Magomed Ankalaev as a potential first challenger for him.
Ulberg commented on the state of the light heavyweight division when remaining tight-lipped on what he saw from Ankalaev.
“I saw what I needed to see, and I’ll make sure I do everything I can to get back in there,” he said. “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,” Ulberg added. “So he’s definitely one of the guys that will be up next as well.”
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Should the UFC create an interim light heavyweight title? 👀
Carlos Ulberg faces up to a year on the sidelines after tearing his ACL at UFC 327.
The UFC likely has five numbered events remaining in 2026 that don’t have title fights announced as of yet.
With that in mind, it still doesn’t seem out of the question that the promotion will create an interim light heavyweight title before Ulberg is able to return.
Ankalaev may have suggested a clash with Paulo Costa for an interim belt, but after a heavily criticized main event on Saturday, it seems unlikely that the promotion will be rushing to book the Russian in another big spot.
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