‘You’re Next’

Newly-crowned UFC light heavyweight kingpin Glover Teixeira was only minutes removed from his UFC 267 championship-winning performance over Jan Blachowicz in Abu Dhabi when he came face-to-face with consensus No. 1 title challenger Jiri Prochazka.

“Denisa,” who from a distance looks like Ironbar from Beyond Thunderdome — thanks to his Muay Thai “war hair” — was shipped to “Fight Island” to serve as backup for the UFC 267 headliner, in case something happened to either Teixeira or Blachowicz.

Something did happen, but not until the main event.

That’s where Teixeira submitted Blachowicz to capture the 205-pound crown, and since Prochazka was already backstage, “Denisa” (28-3-1) took the opportunity to congratulate the aging Brazilian, and perhaps plant the seed for next year’s title fight.

It’s too early to speculate when or where that bout will take place but first-quarter 2022 would probably be a safe bet. After all, Teixeira (33-7) turned 42 last week and isn’t getting any younger so in terms of athletic prowess, time is of the essence.

For more results and highlights from UFC 267 click here.