Hype can often be a dangerous thing for a mixed martial artist.
Fans and pundits have a tendency to build certain fighters up, raising expectations to almost unattainable levels before a fighter is truly ready for the big stage of the UFC. One fighter who had the hype train steaming down the tracks before making his debut with the promotion was Glover Teixeira.
Teixeira had a professional record of 17-2 when he entered the UFC in May 2012. The Brazilian fighter had been on the radar of the UFC and fight fans for some time before that, but visa issues had kept Teixeira from competing in the United States. When he did make his UFC debut, expectations were high.
Teixeira earned a first-round submission win over Kyle Kingsbury in his first fight with the promotion. He followed that up with wins over Fabio Maldonado, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and, most recently, James Te Huna. His win over Te Huna earned him “Submission of the Night” honors and cemented his placement as the third-ranked light heavyweight in the UFC.
One man who has worked with Teixeira for several years seems to think that we have yet to see just how good Teixeira is. That man is former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.
Speaking during a fan Q&A before UFC 162, Liddell had this to say about Teixeira:
“He’s a tough kid. If you shoot on him, you better watch out—his submissions are legit. I got even more confidence watching [UFC light heavyweight champion Jon] Jones fight Chael [Sonnen]. when he started getting hit a little bit and he decided to shoot [for the takedown]. If he does that to Glover, he’s going to be in a lot of trouble. I would be shocked if he was able to stay on top of Glover.”
Teixeira will look to take his streak to five straight when he faces Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox Sports 1 #3 in September. If he defeats Bader, the calls for a shot against Jones will increase, and Liddell may get a chance to find out just how accurate his scouting report is.
*Quotes obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report
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