5 reasons why the light heavyweight division is one of the most exciting in the UFC

#2. The UFC light heavyweight division has a number of high-level prospects rising up

Magomed Ankalaev is just one of the UFC light-heavyweight division's top prospects

Part of the reason that the UFC light heavyweight division suffered for so long was that the hot prospects that hit the UFC simply flamed out without quite making it to the top.

The likes of Jimi Manuwa, Ryan Jimmo and Wagner Prado were all highly touted when they arrived in the UFC, but were never able to get past some of the older guard. In turn, that meant the division never really got freshened up. Now, though, things are very different indeed. The UFC light heavyweight division has been hugely energized by an injection of new talent. This time, this new talent seems capable of making it to the very top.

Jiri Prochazka, for instance, has already made a huge name for himself by knocking out a pair of former title challengers in Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes. ‘Denisa’ might now find himself in line for a title shot of his own in 2022.

Magomed Ankalaev, another fast-rising contender, faces off with Oezdemir this weekend at UFC 267. Reyes, meanwhile, is still young enough to make another run at the title. Then there’s Aleksandar Rakic, Johnny Walker, Da Un Jung and a number of others.

Basically, any one of those men, or more than one of them, could make a genuine run into title contention in the near future. That means that the UFC light heavyweight division is a massively exciting place right now.

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#1. The UFC light heavyweight division is full of exciting finishers

Jiri Prochazka has alreayd proven himself to be a seriously dangerous finisher

It’s one thing to have a number of bright prospects in a division, but to really create an exciting division, those fighters have to be exciting to watch. Thankfully, the UFC light heavyweight division right now is absolutely filled with exciting fighters who almost always look to finish their opponents in violent fashion.

Champion Jan Blachowicz has become renowned for his brutal punching power and ability to knock his opponents out. Of his last five wins, three have come via KO. Underneath him, the likes of Glover Teixeira, Jiri Prochazka, Magomed Ankalaev and Anthony Smith all have fantastic finishing rates, with just a handful of decisions between them in their last few fights.

The same can also be said for Johnny Walker, Aleksandar Rakic and Thiago Santos. That means whenever the UFC books a high-level light heavyweight clash on one of its cards, there’s a high likelihood that the fight will produce a highlight-reel finish.

Naturally, that produces more interest from the fans and means that right now, the UFC has no more exciting weight class than 205 pounds.