Light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz will look to make the next defense of his title against Glover Teixeira at UFC 266, which is currently scheduled for Sept. 4.
Multiple sources close to the situation confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Wednesday after UFC president Dana White first mentioned the booking to ESPN.
Blachowicz will make his return after earning a unanimous decision victory over reigning UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya in a rare champion versus champion fight back in March. That served as Blachowicz’s first title defense after he knocked out Dominick Reyes to become champion in 2020.
Overall, Blachowicz has rattled off five consecutive wins with a 9-1 record in his past 10 appearances including wins over Corey Anderson and Luke Rockhold as well.
Meanwhile, Teixeira will compete for a UFC title for the second time in his career as the seemingly ageless Brazilian seeks to become champion after falling short in his first attempt back in 2014.
Lately, Teixeira has looked better than even while building an impressive five fight win streak, which includes stoppage victory over former title contender Anthony Smith and a submission against Thiago Santos in his most recent fight.
Blachowicz vs. Teixeira is the first confirmed matchup for the UFC 266 card on Sept. 4 with more fights expected to be announced in the coming weeks. As of now, UFC 266 does not have a location set.