How Santos vs. Ankalaev Fits Into Championship Picture at Light Heavyweight

Timothy James

March 12, 2022

The UFC’s 205 lbs division is up for grabs now more than ever after a decade of dominance from Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.

Light Heavyweight is one of the more peculiar divisions in the UFC. Despite being the home of legends like Chuck Lidell, Tito Ortiz, Lyoto Machida, Forest Griffin, and Shogun Rua, it’s fair to say that for a while, there was a bit of stagnation in the division.

Unlike bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, and even welterweight (the deepest divisions in the promotion), the talent is stacked very top-heavy at 205. In this way it’s reminiscent of the men’s flyweight division; there isn’t a lot of depth and the guys at the top are likely to stay there. We saw that play out with Demetrious Johnson at 125, whose 11 title defenses are matched only by none other than Jon Jones.

The same way that Mighty Mouse dominated the flyweight division for years, so did Jon Jones. Nobody other than Jones himself seemed to be able to crack the code of beating the man many consider the greatest of all time. The only other man who staked claim to dominance at 205 was Daniel Cormier, creating one of the greatest rivalries in UFC history.

Now, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are out of the picture at 205. DC moved on to heavyweight gold and the analyst booth, while Jones has his sights set on a return to the UFC at heavyweight, perhaps the most anticipated move-up in divisions ever. Which means for the first time in the long time, the light heavyweight division is up for grabs.

Jan Blachowicz was the first to take advantage of it when he became champ by beating Dominick Reyes at UFC 253. Some believed that Jan would stay at the top for a while, being a veteran in the fight game for a long time, until he crossed paths with another veteran named Glover Texeira.

Texeira is set to defend his belt against surging prospect and striking savant Jiri Prochazka at UFC 275 this June in a classic grappler vs. striker matchup. Both men possess the tools to win that fight. Whoever wins will become the target for a scramble to become the next dominant champion in the UFC.

The main event of UFC Vegas 50 features two men who could find themselves fighting for the light heavyweight belt sooner rather than later. Thiago Santos is a veteran of the UFC, currently ranked 5th, who may be staring down at his last chance for a belt. Across from him will be Magomed Ankalev, currently ranked 8th and on a 7 fight win streak. Many across MMA believe Ankalev is the next champ in the division, and a win against Santos could secure him a title shot.

Santos would likely need another win or two to get himself back into the title picture, having lost to both Jon Jones in a title shot at UFC 239 (a fight some believe he won) and current champion Glover Texeira at UFC on ESPN 17.

The other guys in the picture are Aleksandar Rakic, currently ranked 4th, and Jan Blachowicz, currently ranked the top contender according to rankingmma.com. Those two were originally scheduled to fight at the end of this month, but the bout was canceled after Blachowicz pulled out due to injury. The UFC could try to rebook this fight, or alternatively set Rakic up against the winner of Santos vs. Ankalaev.

One thing is for certain: all the guys in the title picture have an opportunity in front of them that hasn’t been there in years. Someone is going to step up and take it. And it’s going to be glorious to see.