UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] gave a glimpse into the future of the light heavyweight title picture.
At UFC 267, 42-year-old [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (33-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) accomplished his career-long goal of becoming champion by defeating Jan Blachowicz via submission in the second round of the main event.
On Tuesday, following the final card of the fifth season of Dana White’s Contender Series, the UFC boss hinted at who could be the first to challenge Teixeira for the title.
While it may not be the biggest of surprises, considering he weighed in at UFC 267 as an alternate for the main event in case something were to go wrong, [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (28-3-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) appears to have solidified his position as the first to contend for the title.
When asked during the post-fight press conference if Prochazka vs. Teixeira would be the next title fight, White briefly hesitated before smiling as he replied, “Probably, yeah.”
The new champ's first challenger? 🤔
[ @GloverTeixeira | @Jiri_BJP | #UFC267 ] pic.twitter.com/RNswhFjD0n
— UFC (@ufc) October 30, 2021
Although he made championship weight at 205 pounds during the official weigh-ins for the event, Prochazka’s services were not needed as a backup at UFC 267, as both Blachowicz and Teixeira successfully made it to the octagon to compete. Prochazka looked on from the stands as Teixeira became champion, but apparently, will get his crack at the belt in the near future.
In just his second fight under the UFC banner, Prochazka headlined an event, scoring an insane spinning elbow knockout of former title challenger Dominick Reyes. The former Rizin light heavyweight champion is currently riding a 12 fight win streak.
The champ, Teixeira, would enter the potential matchup riding his late-career resurgence on a six-fight win streak that includes five finishes. He finished former title challengers Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos in 2020 to earn his shot at the now-former champion Blachowicz in October.
After winning the title, Teixeira said he looks forward to the challenge of facing Prochazka, but after he takes some time off.
[vertical-gallery id=1507969]
[vertical-gallery id=476442]
[listicle id=1516408]