Alex Pereira Vacates UFC Title
Alex Pereira has vacated the UFC light heavyweight belt to move up to heavyweight, as confirmed by Dana White. The vacant 205-pound title will now be contested between Jiří Procházka and Carlos Ulberg. Meanwhile, UFC's streaming reach is set to more than double to over 200 million subscribers as Paramount+ plans to merge with HBO Max.
Alex Pereira's move to heavyweight is a direct pursuit of history, aiming to become the first-ever three-division champion in the UFC. He is already one of only nine fighters to hold belts in two different UFC weight classes and previously accomplished the same two-division feat in Glory Kickboxing. Jiří Procházka is no stranger to the 205-pound throne, having previously won the title at UFC 275 by submitting Glover Teixeira. He was forced to vacate the belt due to a severe shoulder injury, meaning he never lost it in combat. New Zealand's Carlos Ulberg enters his first UFC title shot on an impressive nine-fight winning streak. After losing his promotional debut in 2021, Ulberg has amassed victories over former champion Jan Błachowicz and former title challenger Dominick Reyes. This title fight marks Procházka's attempt to reclaim the championship after two losses to Pereira. The Czech native, who was the UFC's first-ever Czech champion, earned his way back to contention with recent knockout victories over Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. For Ulberg, a victory would make him only the second New Zealand-born champion in UFC history, following in the footsteps of his City Kickboxing teammate, Israel Adesanya. Pereira enters a heavyweight division with an uncertain title picture, as current champion Tom Aspinall is sidelined with a serious eye injury. This has fueled speculation of a potential blockbuster fight for Pereira against former two-division champion Jon Jones.
