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Check out the Bloody Elbow staff’s picks and predictions for UFC VEGAS 13: ‘SANTOS VS TEIXEIRA’.
The BE team has made its picks for UFC VEGAS 13: ‘SANTOS VS TEIXEIRA’ on Saturday, and only yours truly is adventurous enough to pick Glover Teixeira to beat Thiago Santos in the main event. As for the co-main, we’re all picking Tanner Boser to best former heavyweight king Andrei Arlovski.
Thiago Santos vs. Glover Teixeira
Mookie Alexander: Really good chance Santos just bombs Teixeira out. If this is pre-injuries Santos then he kicks Teixeira until he falls down and is snoring. Teixeira is a slow starter and Santos is so powerful and fast that it could look ugly. But I’m not totally banking on seeing vintage Marreta. Teixeira may look to wrestle Santos after weathering the early storm and his top game still remains incredibly dangerous. Besides, it’s not like Teixeira is hopeless on the feet given his own punching power. I’m feeling like an upset is happening. Glover Teixeira by unanimous decision.
Zane Simon: I do like the paths Teixeira has to grinding out a win (or picking up the sub here), but I just don’t have enough faith in his current boxing game to rattle Santos standing. And without that, even if he can get a takedown or two, I think Santos can scramble well enough to get to his feet again, where he’s just too dangerous for me to pick Glover to stay safe round after round after round. My guess is this fight has a couple big moments for Glover, but sooner or later, he’ll get caught. Thiago Santos via TKO, round 2.
Staff picking Santos: Stephie, Dayne, Zane, Phil
Staff picking Teixeira: Mookie
Tanner Boser vs. Andrei Arlovski
Mookie Alexander: This is a Tanner Boser fan account. Tanner Boser by unanimous decision.
Zane Simon: A much stiffer test for Boser than people might think, looking at Arlovski’s recent record. The truth of the matter is, unless you can take Arlovski down or you’re an exceptionally big hitter, beating him on striking volume has been a very difficult, nip-tuck affair. And while Boser has a couple nice recent finishes, the bulk of his career has been marked by being a durable, cardio-focused fighter who can take fights late when others can’t. I’m picking him, based on his active footwork, and cardio, but I won’t be at all surprised if this is a split decision kind of ugly fight. Like Arlovski vs. Sakai. Tanner Boser by decision.
Staff picking Boser: Mookie, Stephie, Dayne, Zane
Staff picking Arlovski: Phil
Ian Heinisch vs. Brendan Allen
Mookie Alexander: Heinisch has a really good chin and he’s shown himself to be hard to hold down. The problem I see here for him is that he’s at a clear athletic disadvantage. Allen is faster, quite strong, and can deliver some punishing blows when he’s on top… not to mention his submission game. Should be a good scrap but I’m picking upside here. Brendan Allen by unanimous decision.
Zane Simon: I’m not sure I’m picking up what Mookie is putting down here. My feeling is much more if Allen can’t get the sub, he’s going to lose. Allen is pretty easy to take down and happy to be on the ground with his dangerous sub game and Heinisch is an aggressive pursuing wrestler who banks on winning scrambles and tiring out opponents who are willing to go to the mat with him. Allen is a more diverse striker, but also more wooden in his delivery. Eventually, I think (and hope) this fight is just going to play out on the mats, and likely look a lot like Allen’s fight with Kevin Holland. Heinisch has been caught quick in that kind of game before (by the likes of Markus Perez back in LFA), but Allen’s win over Daukaus didn’t fill me with too much confidence that if Heinisch pushes a pace on him, he won’t get incredibly tired. I’ll take Heinisch by decision, but he’ll be playing with fire the whole time. Ian Heinisch by decision.
Staff picking Heinisch: Dayne, Zane, Phil
Staff picking Allen: Mookie, Stephie
Claudia Gadelha vs. Yan Xiaonan
Mookie Alexander: Gadelha is really living on edge. I thought she lost the Angela Hill fight and even in the Randa Markos win much of her cardio issues went away because Markos barely tried throwing a strike. If Xiaonan keeps up a fast pace against Gadelha then I think she’s capable of taking a decision. Gadelha needs to mitigate this with takedowns, takedowns, and more takedowns with a lot of top control. I don’t think it’ll be that easy. Yan Xiaonan by unanimous decision.
Zane Simon: This is going to be one hell of a test of the game that Gadelha has been molding for herself. She barely (and arguably didn’t) squeaked by Angela Hill by leaning on her improving, high-output boxing style. But Xiaonan works at a pace and with a size and athleticism that even Hill can’t match. And if Gadelha turns this into a grappling/wrestling battle, where she could have some serious success, those kinds of fights have tended to sap her gas tank badly. Either way, it seems like the clearest outcome is for Xiaonan to lean on her volume to win rounds, and it’ll just depend on Gadelha as to whether she wants to try and dominate the first round by taking her down and holding her there. Yan Xiaonan by decision.
Staff picking Gadelha: Dayne, Phil
Staff picking Xiaonan: Mookie, Stephie, Zane
Raoni Barcelos vs. Khalid Taha
Mookie Alexander: Barcelos has serious power and so does Taha, but Barcelos has a considerable edge on the mat and I think he can really carve out an easier path to victory there. It should be a really entertaining matchup, one I hope sees Barcelos win and get him a real step up in competition. Raoni Barcelos by TKO, round 2.
Zane Simon: Raoni Barcelos is just really good. A power striking bantamweight who hits consistently to all levels, has a great counter game, is a lockdown wrestler, and a fantastic grappler. He also adjusts well on the fly to whatever offense his opponent is putting out, to find openings and tailor his approach. He’s an elite fighter in the prime of his career, and should be getting bigger fights. Taha is fun, but largely a brawler who depends on his fast hands and solid power to dip into the pocket and land short hook combinations. He can be caught easily off guard by counter takedowns, and while he can explode back to his feet, his ground game is otherwise somewhat lacking. Expect Taha to land a few big shots early, but Barcelos will likely adjust and start putting him on the mat by round 2. Raoni Barcelos via submission, round 2.
Staff picking Barcelos: Mookie, Stephie, Dayne, Zane, Phil
Staff picking Taha:
Rest of the card
Trevin Giles vs. Bevon Lewis
Staff picking Giles: Dayne, Zane
Staff picking Lewis: Mookie, Stephie, Phil
Max Griffin vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
Staff picking Griffin: Mookie, Stephie, Dayne, Zane, Phil
Staff picking Brahimaj:
Darren Elkins vs. Luiz Eduardo Garagorri
Staff picking Elkins: Mookie, Stephie, Dayne, Zane, Phil
Staff picking Garagorri:
Anthony Birchak vs. Gustavo Lopez
Staff picking Birchak: Dayne
Staff picking Lopez: Mookie, Stephie, Zane, Phil
Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Alexander Romanov
Staff picking de Lima: Mookie
Staff picking Romanov: Stephie, Dayne, Zane, Phil
Giga Chikadze vs. Jamey Simmons
Staff picking Chikadze: Mookie, Stephie, Dayne, Zane, Phil
Staff picking Simmons: