As Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira prepare to do battle for the light heavyweight title at UFC 267, a backup fighter has been chosen for the event.
Fresh off a highlight-reel victory over former title contender Dominick Reyes in his most recent appearance in the octagon, Jiri Prochazka will serve as the backup for the title fight currently expected to take place on Oct. 30 in Abu Dhabi.
Multiple people with knowledge of the addition confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Wednesday. Prochazka is expected to travel to the event and cut weight in order to stay ready for the fight just in case either Blachowicz or Teixeira are unable to compete.
Prochazka has quickly become one of the most talked about fighters on the entire UFC roster after a pair of jaw-dropping performances to start his career with the promotion.
The 28-year-old fighter from the Czech Republic is currently riding a 12-fight win streak overall including knockouts over Reyes and former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir in his UFC debut.
Prochazka is currently ranked No. 3 in the MMA Fighting Global MMA Rankings just behind Blachowicz and Teixeira, so it would make sense that he’s next in line for title contention.
It remains to be seen if he’ll be offered the winner of the UFC 267 main event, but he’ll have a close eye on both competitors now that he’s serving as a backup.
