So much for not booking fights the night of an event: Dana White has broken his golden rule to book a light heavyweight title fight at UFC 283 next month.
The news comes immediately following UFC 282’s disastrous main event, which saw Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Blachowicz fight to a split draw. Many had scored the fight for Ankalaev, and even Blachowicz seemed to suggest as much. The judges couldn’t make up their minds, leaving the title vacated by the injured Jiri Prochazka weeks ago still vacant.
During the UFC 282 post-fight press conference, White announced the solution to that particular problem: Glover Teixeira, who was originally set to face Prochazka in the UFC 282 main event, will instead fight Jamahal Hill at UFC 283 in January. Following White’s statement, the UFC announced the bout on social media.
🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨@GloverTeixeira to take on @JamahalH for the vacant LHW title at #UFC283! pic.twitter.com/JQOpACa6u4
— UFC (@ufc) December 11, 2022
As for how the booking came together, it seems the UFC’s matchmaking team got to work immediately after the UFC 282 main event. “We got out of the octagon, we were all bummed out in my green room in the back. And then Hunter [Campbell, Executive VP and Chief Business Officer, UFC] and Mick [Maynard, matchmaker] started talking, Hunter had talked to somebody and Mick had already talked to somebody and they’re like ‘what about doing this in Brazil? We’ll turn it right around and do this thing in Brazil.”
White confirmed that while no contracts have been signed, verbal agreements are in place for the bout.
Texiera vs. Hill joins Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno on the UFC 283 card in Rio de Janeiro, as the flyweight rivals meet for the fourth time. The event takes place on January 21, 2023, with several other high-profile match-ups reported. To date, they include:
- Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill – for the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship
- Deiveson Figueiredo (c) vs. Brandon Moreno (ic) – for the UFC flyweight championship / title unification bout
- Gilbert Burns vs. Neil Magny
- Jéssica Andrade vs. Lauren Murphy
- Maurício Rua vs. Ihor Potieria
- Paul Craig vs. Johnny Walker
- Brad Tavares vs. Gregory Rodrigues
- Thiago Moisés vs. Guram Kutateladze
- Mounir Lazzez vs. Gabriel Bonfim
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Jailton Almeida
- Terrance McKinney vs. Ismael Bonfim
- Warlley Alves vs. Nicolas Dalby
- Josiane Nunes vs. Zarah Fairn Dos Santos
- Cody Stamann vs. Luan Luiz Lacerda
