Glover Teixeira
Age: 38
Nationality: Brazilian
MMA Record: 27-6
UFC Record: 10-4
Notable Wins: Misha Cirkunov, Rashad Evans, Ovince Saint-Preux, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Notable Losses: Alexander Gustafsson, Phil Davis, Jon Jones
Last Fight: TKO win over Misha Cirkunov
Fighter Profile: One of the top light heavyweights in the world, Texeira has been a top-five guy for the last five years but has never been able to get to the upper echelon of the sport for whatever reason. He’s a very well-rounded fighter with big knockout power, slick submissions and great wrestling on the ground, but he did come to the UFC a bit later in his career and was never able to knock off the top contenders at 205lbs. Still, he’s the gatekeeper to the top-five and he pretty much beats anyone who isn’t elite. Although he’s had his title shot against Jon Jones already, it’s still possible he could fight Daniel Cormier if he keeps on winning.
Corey Anderson
Age: 28
Nationality: American
MMA Record: 10-4
UFC Record: 7-4
Notable Wins: Fabio Maldonado, Jan Blachowicz
Notable Losses: Ovince Saint-Preux, Jimi Manuwa, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Last Fight: Decision win over Pat Cummins
Fighter Profile: A former TUF winner, Anderson has had a rocky career in the UFC so far. At times we have seem his true potential as an athletic, strong, and fast light heayweight with good wrestling and striking skills, but the one thing that has cost him is his chin as he’s been knocked out three times in the UFC. He is a very good fighter but without the ability to absorb big shots it’s going to be hard for him to make a run to the top of the division. Still, a win over Teixeira would be huge for him, and this is an amazing opportunity for Anderson to jump the line and get to the top of the light heavyweight rankings quickly.
Fight Breakdown: Even though Teixeira is 10 years older I still give him the edge to win this fight. First off, he had a full training camp for this bout training for Ilir Latifi while Anderson took this bout on very short notice. It’s a great opportunity for Anderson to fight a top-five guy, and I don’t blame him for taking the fight, but I don’t like the situation for him. Teixeira is an extremely hard hitter and Anderson can’t take a big shot. I think Teixeira comes out swinging and catches Anderson on the chin for the KO.
Prediction: Glover Teixeira via KO
