UFC president Dana White has confirmed that Glover Teixeira will be fighting for gold next time out.
The Brazilian has been out of action since his title defense against Jiri Prochazka in June. At UFC 275 in Singapore, the two light heavyweights put on a fight for the ages. Trailing on the scorecards heading into the final round, ‘Denisa’ secured a shocking fifth-round submission win.
In the aftermath of the event, several contenders, including Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev called for a title shot. For his part, Teixeira called for a rematch to reclaim his title. Prochazka agreed with the callout, and the UFC set the fight for this Saturday.
Sadly, fans won’t get to see the rematch at UFC 282, if they see it at all. Prochazka suffered a brutal shoulder injury, forcing him to withdraw and relinquish his championship. The promotion attempted to have Teixeira fight Ankalaev on short notice, but he declined.
As a result, the nod went to Jan Blachowicz, and the pair will headline UFC 282 for the vacant light-heavyweight title. Many have understandably empathized with Teixeira but fear not. On Chatting Pony alongside Paddy Pimblett, Dana White confirmed the Brazilian will fight for gold next.
“One hundred percent, yeah,” stated White in response to Paddy Pimblett asking if Glover Teixeira will get a title shot next. “Yeah, I mean the fight [against Ankalaev] was offered to Glover. He didn’t want to take the fight.”
He continued, “So, there will probably be two fights before Jiri comes back. So yeah, it’ll be Glover.”
The announcement comes at a good time. Following his withdrawal from the card, Glover Teixeira announced his intentions to attend UFC 282 and hopefully fight the winner of the main event. Given Dana White’s comments, it appears he will get his wish.
What do you make of these comments? Are you excited about UFC 282? Sound off in the comment section below PENN Nation!