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UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has reportedly been forced to withdraw from the UFC 282 main event.
According to reports, Prochazka suffered a “serious injury” ahead of his scheduled rematch with Glover Teixeira. In addition to withdrawing from the fight, Prochazka will vacate the belt. Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com says that Prochazka suffered a “severe orthopedic injury” that comes with a recovery timeframe of upwards of a year.
Prochazka vacated the title “out of respect of other contenders.”
Jiri Prochazka is out of UFC 282 due to a severe orthopedic injury. Timeframe for recovery is upwards of a year. According to UFC and Jiri's representatives, it was his decision to vacate the belt out of respect for other contenders. Jiri's injury first reported by @KevinI.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 23, 2022
With Prochazka out of UFC 282, a new main event between former champion Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankaleav will now serve as the main event.
UFC 282 is scheduled for December 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The pay-per-view event also features bouts between Paddy Pimblett and Jared Gordon, Robbie Lawler vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio, and Bryce Mitchell vs. Ilia Topuria.