UFC 160: May 25, 2013 MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada UFC Light Heavyweight Contender Glover Teixeira (-260) Profile: When people talk about the next big thing at light heavyweight in the UFC, the names Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira (20-2) come up every time. The 33-year-old Brazilian Teixeira trains out of the famed Pit, where such notable fighters as Tim Kennedy, Bobby Southworth, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell have learned their craft over the years. With a black belt in BJJ and fists that have delivered him 12 knockouts in his 20 wins, Teixeira is the real deal and can bring the fight anywhere. He is currently on a 18-fight winning streak and garnering increased attention as a true contender in the suddenly-murky UFC light heavyweight division following dominant wins over Kyle Kingsbury (arm-triangle choke submission), Fabio Maldonado (TKO) and Quinton Jackson (unanimous decision) in his first three fights within the organization. UFC Light Heavyweight Contender Ryan Bader (+180) Profile: Ryan Bader (15-3) has won three of his last four fights after suffering consecutive losses to former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and current champ Jon Jones, both by guillotine choke submission. However, he has yet to really prove himself as a top contender after winning The Ultimate Fighter 8. Bader is coming off a first-round submission win against Vladimir Matyushenko in January following a brutal knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC on FOX 4. He had previously knocked out Jason Brilz at UFC 139 and earned a unanimous decision victory against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 144 to start his current run. The 29-year-old Bader is still searching for that signature victory and will get yet another opportunity to show he is an elite fighter when he takes on Glover Teixeira at UFC 160. Opening UFC 160 Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Teixeira a solid -260 favorite (bet $260 to win $100) while Bader opened as a +180 underdog (bet $100 to win $180) at Several Bookmakers sportsbook. Right now, the public perception of these two fighters is that they are on completely different levels, and that is definitely reflected by the odds. Many casual MMA fans who have watched Teixeira lately believe he is approaching elite status. However, his lack of experience against top contenders still leaves a lot to be desired. If you look at the MMAOB MMA Fighter Rankings, you will see that Bader is actually ranked higher as the No. 9 light heavyweight while Teixeira is one spot behind him. That’s not to say Bader is better, but he has fought tougher competition so far in his career, with his only losses coming against the current UFC Light Heavyweight champ (Jones), the former champ (Machida) and a UFC Hall of Famer (Ortiz). The question is, has he learned enough from those losses to take his career to the next level? Bader’s loss to Machida was a step back, and he rebounded against a fighter who was later released by the organization in Matyushenko. Both he and Teixeira have wins over a common opponent in Jackson via UD, so it will be interesting to see how this matchup plays out. Each has knockout power, which they have used to end 19 of their 35 combined wins. Only one of Teixeira’s last eight bouts has gone to the judges (vs. Jackson), and Bader would be wise to use his wrestling to his advantage in an effort to try to grind out a victory. Whether he does or not remains to be seen.
