UFC 172 Date: April 26, 2014 Arena: Baltimore Arena City: Baltimore, MD Light Heavyweight title bout: Jon “Bones” Jones (-475) vs Glover Teixeira (+425) Fight Breakdown: The UFC 172 main card is going to be headlined by a title fight for the promotion’s 205 pound gold. Fireworks are to be expected when the Octagon’s longest reigning light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones defends his title against the Brazilian, Glover Teixeira. “Bones” is a heavy favorite in this title tilt at -475 ($475 to win $100), while Teixeira is a huge underdog at +425 ($100 to win $425) at Several Bookmakerss. Jon “Bones” Jones (19-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) will be looking to defend his UFC light heavyweight title for a new record-setting seventh time as he steps into the Octagon to square off against the heavy hitting Brazilian in Teixeira. He is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson last September. After being down two rounds on the judges’ scorecards, Jones came back strong in the fourth and fifth to secure the final two frames en route to getting the unanimous nod from the three judges at cageside. A match-up many expected to be a walk in the park for the New York native turned out to be the biggest challenge of his professional mixed martial arts career. “Bones” is arguably the best pound for pound fighter in all of mixed martial arts. He has very solid greco-roman wrestling. His takedowns are impressive and he scores them at will. He possesses a very ruthless ground and pound attack where he loves to implement his vicious elbows, busting heads open and earning stoppages. His defensive wrestling is solid, as well. He had a 100% success rate with his takedown defense until his last bout against the Swede, who was able to get “Bones” down to the mat. Jones started as a wrestler but is now exceptionally talented in every aspect of the sport. He has become a great striker under the tutelage of coach Michael Winkeljohn at Jackson-Winklejohn MMA in Albequrque, NM. Training at high altitude helps with his already terrific cardio, as he prepares for five round fights. I expect him to have enough in the tank for a hard 25 minutes of action, should the fight go the distance. Glover Teixeira (22-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is getting his crack at Jon Jones and his 205 pound gold after notching five straight wins inside the Octagon. He is coming off a first round knockout over Ryan “Darth” Bader, a fight in which Bader had him hurt. As soon as Bader rushed in to put the finishing touches on the the Brazilian, Teixeira answered with a shot that sent Bader to the mat. Now on a 20-fight winning streak, the Brazilian is fully focused on putting all his weapons to use in his attempt to capture the light heavyweight title. The only setback before his big win-streak was a 2005 Decision loss to current UFC middleweight Ed “Short Fuse” Herman, which is a bit puzzling, because he would dominate Herman today – but I suppose Teixeira hadn’t quite learned to put it all together yet. Being one of the newest members of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL, Teixeira has an excellent Brazilian Jiu Jitsu game and is very dominant from the top position. He works solid takedowns and is equally as great with his ground and pound as he is with his submission game. Aside from his wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu, the Brazilian has solid boxing skills. He likes to imitate Mike Tyson. In fact, he’s been known to watch Mike Tyson highlights before all of his MMA fights. At 34 years of age, I believe he is still in his prime. Though his cardio can at times be questionable, I am expecting him to be in shape for a five round fight, should it go the full 25 minutes. Gabe’s Prediction: If the fight goes all five rounds, I favor Jones’ to take home the decision. If Teixeira is able to stand in the middle of the cage, and not let Jones dictate Octagon control, then he will put him out of his element and actually have a shot at winning a decision. I don’t think he will fight with that game plan, though. I really like Teixeira’s chances in this fight, and do not agree with the odds. I think he could knock Jones out or submit him, and he could also keep it close enough to make it a close call on the judges’ scorecards. I think he should be +200, so at these odds, I have to take a shot. Gabe’s Call: Teixeira by TKO (punches, 4:33 round 2) for the upset. Gabe’s Recommended Play: Glover Teixeira (+420) 1.35u to win 5.65u
