Not that long ago, the UFC 205-lb division was embroiled in one of its most tumultuous eras.
Heavy Ambitions Cause Dominant Star to Move Up From Light Heavyweight
In February 2020, then-light heavyweight champion Jon Jones defended his title for the third time of his second reign over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. One week later, he then traveled to New Mexico to witness Polish powerhouse Jan Blachowicz knockout future Bellator 205-lb king Corey Anderson at UFC Fight Night 167.
Almost immediately following the stoppage, Blachowicz walked toward where Jones was sitting and began to call him out, which prompted “Bones” to become fired up with anticipation. The new number one contender also made it clear that he wanted to fight Jones for the strap in his next bout in his post-fight interview, which the champion seemingly acknowledged.
However, the two men never squared off. In fact, later that August, Jones ended up vacating his light heavyweight throne in what would become a three-year journey to prepare his body for a move to heavyweight. This exit from the division set the combat sports world abuzz, as Jones had previously made comments about going up in weight in the past, even targeting a superfight against then 265-lb king Stipe Miocic.
Unfortunately, his leaving the weight class also began a time of great chaos for the light heavyweight title picture, a time that would last for the next three years.
A Successor is born at Light Heavyweight?
With the title now vacant, the promotion was quick to set up a championship match between two of the top 205-lb fighters on the planet at UFC 253, Blachowicz and the aforementioned Reyes. Squaring off in the co-main event, Blachowicz continuously pelted his American foe with bludgeoning body kicks that started to quickly wear on Reyes. Then, near the end of round two, the Pole put the finishing touches on the contest by dropping “The Devastator” with punches, stopping him with ground and pound to become the new light heavyweight champion.
A journey of hard work and determination had brought Błachowicz to the forefront of the division, but he did not have long to rest on his laurels, as he was booked six months later for his first title defense. In his first outing as champion, he was pitted in a super fight opposite popular middleweight king Israel Adesanya, who had actually defended his belt for a second time at UFC 253.
Looking every bit the bigger competitor, Blachowicz used his size and slick defensive skills to neutralize most of Adesanya’s offense, as well as utilizing his grappling to keep him on the canvas in the later rounds. In the end, Błachowicz won the fight by unanimous decision, handing “The Last Stylebender” his first ever loss in MMA.
Later on in October at UFC 267, the light heavyweight standard crossed paths with long-time divisional threat Glover Teixeira. At the time of the fight, Teixeira was 42-years old, but was then in the midst of a five-fight win streak, including victories over former title challengers Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos.
Taking the Pole down in the first round, the Brazilian controlled the champion for most of the first stanza, even landing a big, thudding elbow that caught even the commentators attention. Teixeira would wind up dragging Blachowicz to the ground again in round two, catching him in a rear naked choke and forcing him to tap, making the Connecticuter the oldest modern UFC title holder.
A Time of Chaos at 205
Making MMA history, Teixeira had become champion in his 40s, becoming the most aged competitor to win a company belt since Randy Couture usurped the heavyweight strap from Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 at 45 years old. The moment was viewed as a wholesome time in the career of the Brazilian, but his ascension to the light heavyweight throne also marked the start of a disorderly period for the 205-lb championship.
At UFC 275, Teixeira attempted to defend his kingdom for the first time against surging contender Jiří Procházka. In front of thousands at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, both men put on easily one of the most entertaining bouts of all time, with both sides beating and bloodying each other relentlessly while showing massive reserves of heart.
During the fifth round, however, the Czech locked in a late rear naked choke that caused the seasoned Teixeira to tap. The victory made Procházka the first fighter from the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic to have a UFC wrapped around their waist.
After such an electrifying performance, many were hoping for a long and productive title reign from the new king of the 205-lb class. Sadly, Procházka’s time at the top was cut short after injuring his shoulder in training for a rematch with Teixeira. Not wanting to keep the division stagnant as he recovered, “Denisa” willingly chose to relinquish his belt.
Vacant Light Heavyweight Championship Fight Produces Stalemate
With the strap now unmanned, the UFC booked a light heavyweight championship fight between Blachowicz and the streaking Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282. Controlling the action for the first three rounds, the Pole continuously pelted his Russian adversary with leg kicks, drawing major reactions from him at several points.
As the championship rounds unfolded, the Ankalaev began to employ takedowns into his gameplan, and found immediate success with them, taking down the former 205-lb ruler and wearing on his stamina. By the end of the contest, many had felt that the Dagestani had done enough to get his hand raised, but in a shocking result, the bout was ruled a split draw, meaning the strap would remain vacant.
Jamahal Hill Becomes Light Heavyweight King
Unwilling to allow the light heavyweight belt to remain on the shelf collecting dust, a short-notice 205-lb championship fight was made between Teixeira and Illinois native Jamahal Hill for UFC 283. Heading into the main event, the younger Hill was viewed as a massive favorite, as he had recorded three previous high-profile knockout victories over Jimmy Crute, Johnny Walker and Thiago Santos.
This praise was well-earned, as “Sweet Dreams” positively battered the Brazilian from start to finish of their encounter, including nearly taking off one of Teixeira’s eyebrows after opening a grizzly cut on it. In a complete blowout performance, Hill swept the judge’s scorecards with a trio of 50-44s to be crowned the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
In the greatest performance of his career, the Michigan competitor had become the first Dana White’s Contender Series athlete to score a promotional championship. In one of the cruelest twists of fate, though, later that July, Hill would give up his strap after hurting his Achilles tendon during a basketball game with other prominent UFC fighters.
Light Heavyweight Finds Savior in “Poatan”
For more than three years, the 205-lb title picture had been unclear, with no champion other than Blachowicz being able to successfully defend the belt more than once, or even make it to their first defense at all. That was until UFC 295 in November of 2023, when the man who ended up saving the division would take hold of the belt. Ironically, it wasn’t a native to the class that was going to capture the throne, but rather a middleweight.
Moving up in weight following his loss to Israel Adesanya, previous 185-lb king Alex Pereira won his debut at light heavyweight in a split decision fight with former champion Błachowicz at UFC 291. This earned the Brazilian the chance to vie for the title at UFC 295 almost four months later against a returning Procházka.
Originally scheduled for the co-main event, the pair was suddenly elevated to the headlining matchup after heavyweight champion Jon Jones was forced off the card after tearing a pectoral muscle while preparing to face Stipe Miocic. Finding his mark in the second round, “Poatan” nailed Procházka with a left hook that stunned him, eventually ending the fight with ground and pound to become the ninth competitor to win a UFC title in two different divisions.
From here, Pereira would not only restore stability to light heavyweight, but also embark on a swift rise to superstardom. Starting with a three minute first defense at UFC 300 by knocking out Hill, the striking phenom logged two more wins in 2024 in just the span of six months. These triumphs included further stoppages over Procházka in a rematch at UFC 303 and an all out war with Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307.
At the time of this writing, Pereira is slated to take on Magomed Ankalaev in what many pundits are calling the toughest test of his championship reign at UFC 313. Should he prevail against the Russian, a potential move up to heavyweight may be in the cards for him, along with a hypothetical super fight pairing with Jones.
Regardless of the outcome, though, the Brazilian has ushered in an era of dominance at 205-lb that hasn’t been seen in nearly half a decade. For now, light heavyweight has found its long-sought after secureness.