The UFC light heavyweight division is in flux heading into the New Year. After UFC 282 saw Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev battle to an unlikely split draw in the main event, UFC president Dana White has decided to put the still vacant title up for grabs at the first PPV of 2023.
White announced that Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill has been added to UFC 283 and that the title will be on the line. White did note that the fight had been verbally agreed to and that contracts still needed to be signed.
Five different fighters have been tied to the UFC light heavyweight championship over the course of 17 days. A highly-anticipated rematch between Jiri Prochazka and Teixeira was scheduled to headline UFC 282 in Las Vegas, but Prochazka vacated the title on Nov. 23 after suffering a severe shoulder injury. Then, Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev was elevated to the main event with the vacant title at stake.
Blachowicz conceded that he thought he lost the fight, proclaiming Ankalaev as the rightful winner. Ankalaev agreed but UFC brass did not. White was critical of Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev, describing the fight as boring. As a consequence, matchmakers opted to include a late addition title fight to UFC 283.
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"The main event was terrible," White told reporters during the UFC 282 post-fight press conference before adding, "I started to zone out after three rounds."
UFC 283 takes place at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday, Jan. 21. The card features a historic fourth fight between UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and interim flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, who are tied 1-1-1 in their series.
