The UFC has finalized the next title fight in the light heavyweight division. Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that the promotion has booked the title fight between the champion Jan Blachowicz (28-8) and top contender Glover Teixeira (32-7).
The matchup will take place at UFC 266 on September 4th. At this time, it’s not known where UFC 266 will take place. Glover Teixeira is finally getting his second crack at the light heavyweight championship.
Teixeira’s first shot was back in 2014 when he took on Jon Jones. Jones was able to win that fight by decision and it’s been a long road for Teixeira to get back to a title shot.
Back in 2018, many were wondering what the UFC future was for Teixeira. Teixeira had gone 2-3 in five fights and he was getting ready to turn 40 years old. However, that’s when Teixeira completely turned his career around.
Starting in January of 2019, Teixeira has gone 5-0 inside the octagon. His last two wins were stoppage wins over former title challengers Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith. Teixeira has seen an incredible resurgence and now he gets his title shot at UFC 266.
Second UFC title defense for the Polish Power
Someone who can completely relate to Teixeira’s resurgence is the UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. At UFC 210, Blachowicz lost to Patrick Cummins and he was just 1-4 in five fights.
The promotion came close to cutting him, but decided to keep the Polish Power around. After that loss to Cummins, Blachowicz has gone 9-1 inside the octagon including winning five fights in a row.
Blachowicz’s comeback culminated at UFC 253 when he defeated Dominick Reyes to become the light heavyweight champion. Following that win, the promotion booked him against one of the biggest stars in the sport, Israel Adesanya.
Adesanya fought Blachowicz at UFC 259 seeking to become a two-division champion. However, Blachowicz proved to be too much and successfully defended his title. Now, Blachowicz will be seeking a second straight defense of his light heavyweight crown.