Injury to Carlos Ulberg hands Khamzat Chimaev and former rival a ticket to a title shot

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

There’s been talk of an interim title fight in the light heavyweight division for Khamzat Chimaev after his next defence of the middleweight belt.

That’s because on May 9, Chimaev is set to face Sean Strickland at UFC 328, which will mark his first title defence since taking the belt from Dricus Du Plessis earlier this year.

Before that bout was scheduled, there had already been speculation about Chimaev moving up to challenge the then-light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira. But he went on to face Du Plessis for the middleweight title instead and later dismissed those rumours.

But now with a vacancy at the top of the division and a lot of changes happening at both 185 and 205 pounds, it could be the right time for him to move up. And with no clear next contender in either division, it’s a path that might make sense.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Belal Muhammad believes Chimaev could be in line for a shot at the light heavyweight belt

Last Saturday, Carlos Ulberg stunned Jiri Prochazka with a first-round knockout to claim the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 327.

Early in the fight, Ulberg appeared to suffer a serious knee injury, and it looked like he might not make it through the opening round. But he rallied to land a left hook that dropped Prochazka and secured the win.

The New Zealander is now expected to miss significant time. According to Dr Brian Sutterer, he could be sidelined until 2027.

With Ulberg out, another interim title fight seems likely, and former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad thinks Chimaev could benefit from that situation.

“I think it ends up being Khamzat vs (Paulo) Costa for the vacant 205lb belt after Khamzat smashes Strickland,” Muhammad posted on X. Paulo Costa made his light heavyweight debut at UFC 327, knocking out Azamat Murzakanov and likely moving into the top five of the division as a result.

The promotion isn’t expected to strip Ulberg of his title so soon after his win. Instead of another vacant title being introduced, an interim championship appears more likely. But before any of that can happen, Chimaev needs to get past Sean Strickland on May 9 in Newark, New Jersey.

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