Dana White has time and again credited Forrest Griffin vs. Stephen Bonnar, the light heavyweight finale for The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 in 2005, for skyrocketing the UFC’s popularity. Even before and after this event, light heavyweight has produced the biggest UFC stars, ranging from Frank Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, and Chuck Liddell, to Jon Jones, Alex Pereira, and Jiri Prochazka.

Fast forward to 2025, Pereira’s iconic reign is over, and the way things are shaping up, he might not get the opportunity to reclaim gold easily. Magomed Ankalaev is struggling to find the next title contender despite being ready for a fight at UFC 317.

However, UFC veteran Josh Thomson, on a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, has come to White’s rescue by suggesting that Carlos Ulberg should get the title shot at light heavyweight. He stated, “You have Carlos Ulberg. He’s there. What are you doing? Just throw him in there. I mean, you got to have a title fight.”

The New Zealander is the only top fighter in the division coming off a win (unanimous decision over Jan Blachowicz) and considering Khalil Rountree Jr. fought for the title while ranked no. 8, Ulberg certainly has a solid case sitting at number three.

Thomson also explained why other light heavyweights don’t fit in the title picture, “Jamahal Hill, coming off a loss. Jan Blachowicz, coming off a loss. Rakic, coming off a loss, Khalil Rountree, coming off a loss. Dominic Reyes is number eight. He’s got a win. The only other guy coming off a win because Jiri and Alex are both coming off losses, I believe. You’ve got Carlos Ulberg, that’s it. At number three.”

The former Strikeforce champ did realize that Prochazka won his last fight against Hill, too, but because the Czech fighter is unavailable at the moment, Ulberg still remains the only logical option. If the UFC CEO goes down this path, Pereira could potentially not only lose his immediate title rematch against Ankalaev but might also have to fight other contenders first to get back to the top.

Is Carlos Ulberg the right solution for Dana White to fix the UFC light heavyweight title limbo?

White’s dilemma regarding the UFC light heavyweight division is apparent and understandable. On one hand, Pereira is still arguably one of the biggest draws in the promotion, not just the division. On the other hand, contenders like Ulberg can be exciting matchups for the champ, but their potential to sell PPVs is untested, to say the least. And holding off a popular division like LHW can put it in a similar stagnant situation like heavyweight at the moment.

Ankalaev, at the time of writing, has 1.4 million followers on Instagram, but he isn’t as popular as other fighters from Russia and Dagestan who directly associate or train with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Beating Pereira must’ve handed him a surge in popularity, but another thing to note is that the UFC has booked all events up until UFC 319, which features Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev for middleweight gold.

Jones and Tom Aspinall, if they fight, will likely headline a separate card after UFC 319. The only scheduled card that could use a title fight, as of now, is UFC 318, as it features the trilogy fight between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier, which is also the retirement fight for the latter. The event has also faced backlash for the high ticket prices.

This makes Abu Dhabi a viable option for Ankalev’s next fight. But if the UFC goes that route, it could very well see Alex Pereira fighting to reclaim the title. The Brazilian will have been well-rested, and Ankalaev will have a better fan reception at the Etihad Arena. With Ali Abdelaziz confirming Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena will go down in neutral territory like New York or Las Vegas, Ankalaev becomes the next best option for the Abu Dhabi PPV. What do you think? Should Dana White wait till October to make Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2? Or should he make Ankalaev vs. Ulberg for the summer?