A massive Ultimate Fighting Championship rematch for the light heavyweight belt is in the works for December.
According to MMA Fighting on Thursday, the UFC is setting up the second iteration of Jiri Prochazka (29-3-1) vs. Glover Teixeira (33-8). Per the report, the two 205ers have verbally agreed to the pairing, but the contracts have not been signed. Should it come together, the two will meet again at UFC 282, likely in the headliner spot, on Dec. 10. The destination is not yet official, but it is expected this year-end pay-per-view card will be staged at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. No other fights have been booked for this show thus far.
In just three trips to the Octagon, Prochazka went from newcomer to contender to champion. His first appearance in 2020 saw him starch Volkan Oezdemir with one punch. This springboarded the Czech fighter to a top-ranked matchup in 2021 with former title challenger Dominick Reyes, and the two put on a show until Prochazka flattened Reyes with a spinning back elbow. The crack at the belt in June 2022 proved successful, after a titanic back-and-forth struggle between Prochazka and Teixeira, and “Denisa” ultimate finished Teixeira with a rear-naked choke. The instant “Fight of the Year” contender also extended Prochazka’s stellar win streak to 13 straight, with 11 consecutive finishes.
The “Cinderella story” of Teixeira came to a thrilling but dramatic end in June, when he tapped out to a submission for the first time in his storied career. The fifth-round defeat – one in which Teixeira was leading on two of three official scorecards heading to the final frame – concluded a significant six-fight win streak that saw him move up the 205-pound ladder and claim the throne from Jan Blachowicz. On his way up, the Brazilian by way of Connecticut topped the likes of Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith and Nikita Krylov. As a professional, the 42-year-old former champion celebrates an 85% finish rate – however, this trails Prochazka’s 97%.
The two have been chattering back and forth on Twitter this past week, with Prochazka telling Blachowicz he never promised him the fight, and that he was waiting to hear from Teixeira. The Brazilian replied that he wanted a date for the fight, and Prochazka replied simply with, "UFC 282-December 10-Las Vegas." Teixeira responded in the affirmative to this, likely putting an end to efforts to get the two on the UFC 283 event in Brazil in January.
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