The main event of UFC Fight Night 73 is a light-heavyweight contest featuring former title challenger Glover Teixeira and Ovince Saint Preux. Saint Preux is coming off impressive knockout victories over Patrick Cummins and Shogun Rua, while Teixeira is coming off of consecutive losses to Jon Jones and Phil Davis. Glover will look to avoid his third straight loss while Saint Preux is looking to boost his way into title contention. Glover Teixeira (22-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC, -135 favorite) There had been a lot of hype behind Glover before he made his UFC debut in 2012. He was Chuck Liddell’s main training partner for years and was often referred to as Chuck’s “secret weapon”. Unfortunately, visa issues prevented him from signing with the UFC, which ultimately led to him not being able to compete in the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization until he was 32 years old. However, he made the most of his opportunity and quickly racked up five straight wins, earning a title shot against then-UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones in the process. The bout did not go as planned for Glover, as he lost a five round decision. However, he showcased his toughness by fighting almost the entire contest with a separated shoulder. That loss seemed to dampen his spirit for fighting, as he came out very flat and out of shape in his next fight against Phil Davis in October. Glover chose to train at his home gym for that fight instead of training at his usual camp, American Top Team, where he would have had access to many high level training partners on a daily basis. Glover is a well-rounded mixed martial artist that can do it all. He has finished 19 of his 22 wins, which includes thirteen by knockout and six by submission. Teixeira’s striking is good but not great. He focuses on a more boxing-oriented attack and does not utilize kicks very often. That may be because he has very heavy hands and knows he is capable of knocking out any light heavyweight in the world. He has a nasty left hook, overhand right, and right uppercut. From a grappling standpoint, Glover is actually a very capable wrestler. He usually likes to stand in his fights but he hits the occasional double-leg as well. From top position he has a heavy base, passes well, and has a variety of submissions at his disposal, as you would expect from a second degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I expect a better showing from Glover this time out, as I heard he is back at American Top Team and in good physical condition. Ovince Saint Preux (18-6 MMA, 6-1 UFC, +115 underdog) Saint Preux is a natural athlete, as he played division one college football for the University of Tennessee. Ovince started training mixed martial arts after college at the Knoxville Martial Arts Academy in Tennessee. From there he decided to try to make a run at becoming a professional fighter. Ovince won his first two amateur fights but ran into a roadblock once he turned pro. Saint Preux’s first two professional fights did not go his way, but he persevered and ultimately signed a long-term deal with Strikeforce in 2010. After compiling a very impressive 5-1 record in Strikeforce, with his only loss being to Gegard Mousasi, he made the jump to the UFC in 2013 when Zuffa purchased Strikeforce. His UFC career has had his ups and downs but he has still managed to rack up six wins to only one loss in the promotion. His sole loss was to top contender Ryan Bader, who exposed Ovince’s lackluster takedown defense and cardio. After his two wins over Shogun Rua and Patrick Cummins, he will look to earn his most relevant win to date and move closer toward his goal of becoming a UFC champion. Saint Preux’s game relies heavily around his speed, power, and athleticism. His technique still needs to be refined but he can get by most fighters with those attributes alone. Fighting out of a southpaw stance, Ovince is not the most technical striker but he does serious damage when he connects. His best punch is his left hook, though he also has some decent kicks to the body and head. Defense is still something he needs to work on but he has shown improvement each time we see him fight. The big hole in Saint Preux’s game has been his takedown defense, as Bader easily outwrestled him for five rounds and Mousasi did the same for three. The problem with Ovince is that he is already 32 years old and much of his game relies on his superior speed and athleticism, which are the first things to go when a fighter ages. So if he is going to make a serious title run he better do it quickly. Thoughts This is an interesting matchup. Glover is the much more experienced and polished fighter, but Ovince has the edge in speed and athleticism. While they both are dangerous on the feet and capable of knocking each other out, Glover is by far the better grappler. I think he can win on the feet or take the easier route and win on the ground. However, that is assuming Glover comes into this fight in shape and motivated. Ovince still has holes that Glover can exploit, so I will have to side with the fighter that is more technical, has more ways to win, and has more experience. With that said, I can see Ovince winning if Glover comes into this fight out of shape and Saint Preux made more improvements to his game. The Prediction: Glover Teixeira defeats Ovince Saint Preux by submission (round 2).
