Potential light heavyweight matchups for Carlos Ulberg, Dominick Reyes after bout

Carlos Ulberg gets his title shot… maybe. 

Ulberg had a fantastic knockout in Perth, dropping Reyes with a right hand and landing a couple of extra shots on the ground. 

Ulberg absolutely looked like a fighter who could be a champion in the light heavyweight division. The issue is that multiple fighters at the top are in the same position.

With Alex Pereira as the No. 1 contender challenging current champion Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320, the result could directly impact Ulberg’s chance at a title shot. 

If Pereira can reclaim the title, Ulberg could very well be Pereira’s next opponent. 

The No. 2-ranked light heavyweight Jiří Procházka and No. 4-ranked Khalil Rountree Jr. are also fighting on the main card of UFC 320. This shakes things up since it could be seen as a title eliminator. 

The case for Ulberg over Procházka or Rountree Jr. would be that Pereira faced both in title fights, including Procházka twice, and Pereira won all three of those bouts by way of knockout. Ulberg would be a fresh matchup for Pereira. 

Ulberg isn’t completely out of the running if Ankalaev retains the title. He may have to fight with the winner of Procházka and Rountree Jr. for a true title eliminator fight to see who’s the next in line.

Either Procházka or Rountree Jr. could be tough fights for Ulberg, but it will prove his shot for the title. Between Procházka’s awkward and reckless style and Rountree Jr.’s vicious Muay Thai, Ulberg could have his work cut out for him. 

Dominick Reyes has to prove himself again

Reyes had the momentum on his side coming into this fight night, but it wasn’t enough. After a contentious decision loss to Jon Jones in 2020 for the Light Heavyweight title, Reyes went on a three-fight losing skid all by way of knockout. He had redemption in his last three fights, all of which were wins by way of knockout. 

Reyes' shot at fighting for the title again is probably over. At 35 years old, he’s not getting any younger, and he will surely slip in the rankings after his defeat in the first round.

A fun fight for Reyes could be No. 12-ranked light heavyweight Johnny Walker. Walker is coming off a big knockout win over Zhang Mingyang. Walker, much like Reyes, was a high contender in the division before losing pretty badly and dropping in the rankings. Walker even had a chance at current champion Ankalaev before his title reign when he was the third-ranked contender in the division. Ankalaev won that bout via knockout. 

Both Reyes and Walker are fighters who will move forward and take shots to land bigger shots. That’s a dangerous strategy, but it can lead to some of the most exciting fights. With both guys utilizing this style, it will almost certainly lead to a finish. 

It’s hard to predict what other fighters would make sense for Reyes because it really depends on how far he falls in the rankings after this defeat.