UFC announces potential No. 1 contender light heavyweight fight for London event in 2025

A potential challenger for Alex Pereira in 2025 could be determined in London.

Red-hot contender light heavyweight contender Carlos Ulberg is set to put his seven-fight win streak on the line against former champion Jan Blachowicz on March 22 at The O2 Arena for UFC London.

The bout was one of two announced by the UFC for the London event on Tuesday, the other being a matchup of ranked heavyweights between Marcin Tybura and undefeated English prospect Mick Parkin.

Ulberg (11-1) has emerged as a legitimate dark horse contender for Pereira's title after racking up a litany of violent finishes in the 205-pound division since 2022, highlighted by a 12-second knockout of Alonzo Menifield and third-round submission of Da Woon Jung. Ulberg continued his hot streak in November with a unanimous decision over one-time title challenger Volkan Oezdemir.

Blachowicz (29-10-1) has not competed since losing a competitive split decision to Pereira in July 2023, a bout that served as Pereira's introduction to the 205-pound division. A former champion who secured one successful title defense over Israel Adesanya in 2021, Blachowicz was scheduled to return in a rematch against Aleksandar Rakic in January 2024 at UFC 297 but withdrew due to shoulder surgery.

The winner of Ulberg vs. Blachowicz could very well be next in line to challenge for Pereira's belt, depending on what happens with a potential Magomed Anaklaev title bout.

A longtime UFC veteran, Tybura (26-9) has alternated wins and losses over his past five Octagon bouts, culminating in a second-round stoppage of Jhonata Diniz in November.

He now looks to fend off Parkin (10-0), who's a perfect 4-0 over his first four UFC appearances. Parkin most recently scored a first-round knockout over Lukasz Brzeski at UFC 304 in July.

Former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards recently announced that he expects to headline UFC's return to London against an opponent yet to be determined.