With Jon Jones out of the picture, Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz will square off for the vacant light heavyweight belt in the UFC 253 co-main event on Sept. 26.
The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed the title bout on Tuesday night. UFC 253 is headlined by a middleweight championship clash between Israel Adesanya and Paulo Henrique Costa.
Jones vacated the title earlier this week, hinting at a future move to heavyweight if negotiations with the UFC prove to his liking.
Reyes is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Jones in the UFC 247 headliner on Feb. 8, a bout many observers thought “The Devastator” deserved to win. The 30-year-old Victorville, California, native kicked off his professional career with 12 consecutive triumphs, including six victories under the UFC banner. His ledger includes notable wins over the likes of Chris Weidman, Volkan Oezdemir, Ovince St. Preux and Jared Cannonier.
After a rough start to his UFC tenure, Blachowicz has been victorious in seven of his last eight Octagon appearances. In his last outing, the 37-year-old Pole cemented his position as a top 205-pound contender with a first-round knockout of Corey Anderson at UFC Fight Night 167.