In a crazy turn of events, Jiri Prochazka is out of his UFC 282 clash with Glover Teixeira at UFC 282. According to Yahoo! Sports, Prochazka has suffered a “serious injury”.
As a result, Prochazka has vacated his light heavyweight championship in respect for the division. The UFC has now booked a new main event for the title consisting of former champion Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev for Dec. 10 in Las Vegas.
Jiri Prochazka Vacates Light Heavyweight Title
ESPN reported that Prochazka suffered a “severe orthopaedic injury”, and his team have confirmed he vacated the belt to ensure the division moves on. The Czech Republic native is expected to be side-lined for one year.
Tough one to take for Prochazka, who was set to make the first defence of his title after going to war with Teixeira in a fight for the ages. It was also reported that Teixeira was granted an opportunity to compete for the belt but chose against doing so.
Fans knew Ankalaev would be close to fighting for a title, but nobody could have predicted it to be in the matter which has unfolded. The Russian has dominated his way up the light heavyweight rankings and currently rides a 9-fight win streak, with five stoppages. Tasting just one defeat in his career, in a last-second submission to Paul Craig, Ankalaev will feel he’s ready to fight for gold.
Polish international Blachowicz will be looking to recapture his crown. Blachowicz lost his title to Teixeria at UFC 267 and believed he’d have to do some work inside the octagon to get back to the top. The thirty-nine-year-old was last in action in May earlier this year and picked up a solid win over Aleksandar Rakić.
What do you make of the last-minute change to UFC 282?
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