With Lyoto Machida now out of the light heavyweight title picture, a path has been cleared for Glover Teixeira.
Teixeira is slated to fight Ryan Bader on September 4, 2013 in the main event of UFC Fight Night 29, and provided he wins impressively, UFC officials say Teixeira will be the next man to fight for the division's title.
"Dana [White] and Joe [Silva] have confirmed that with a strong victory by Glover, that he probably gets the winner of the Jon Jones fight," UFC executive Marshall Zelaznik announced at UFC 163's post-fight press conference.
"Glover's got an opportunity to go for that belt with a big win, so we're expecting big things in Belo Horizonte."
Teixeira (21-2) is currently the No. 3 ranked light heavyweight in UFC's official rankings, behind only Machida and title challenger Alexander Gustafsson. The 33-year-old Brazilian carries a sterling 4-0 record inside the Octagon, including decisive victories over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and James Te Huna.