All things considered, the match card at UFC 172 is stacked even if the main event between pound-for-pound MMA ruler Jon Jones (19-1) and Glover Teixeira (22-2) reeks of a potential stinker.
Still, fans around the globe should tune in any time Jones enters the cage, and there’s an allure of the unknown surrounding the challenger.
Add in a stacked card, and it’s easy to see why the hype for the event is at a fever pitch.
Where: Baltimore Arena, Baltimore
When: Saturday, April 26 at 10 p.m. ET
Watch: Pay-per-view (check local cable provider)
Live Stream: UFC.TV (subscription required)
Best Bout of the Night: Phil Davis vs. Anthony Johnson
This one is taking a lot of heat from fans and the media, as Anthony Johnson makes his return to UFC in a somewhat unfavorable matchup against Phil Davis.
Davis touts the wrestling prowess that can perfectly counter Johnson, who has, for whatever reason, been somewhat reluctant to take bouts to the mat.
That said, Davis has been running his mouth so much about a title shot, he may arrogantly make this a fight. On the path to the event, Davis has seemed more concerned with Jones than Johnson, as captured by Marc Raimondi of Fox Sports and UFC:
Like a video game, it only takes one miscalculation for Johnson to pull off the upset. He holds an advantage in the striking department and has looked nothing short of dominant on his path back to the UFC.
The problem here is Davis’ ability to get Johnson off his feet. When this happens, ground-and-pound will eventually take its toll, and Davis will finally get to run his mouth as the next man in line to take on Jones.
Prediction: Davis via decision.
Main Event Outlook
The main event means everything to Teixeira, who has won 20 fights in a row (five in the UFC).
Just ask the man himself:
It sounds good on paper, but Teixeira has a tough task ahead. Not just because of the obvious, which is just how great Jones truly is, but also the fact that his nice record is entirely misleading, as Tomas Rios of Sports on Earth helps to illustrate:
He damn near got knocked out by gatekeeper Ryan Bader in his last fight and can’t sustain the aggression his style hinges on for more than a round or two. Teixeira’s best and perhaps only hope is to dominate in the pocket with power combinations, but there isn’t a light heavyweight alive who can force Jones into that kind of fight. The short of it is that Teixeira’s limitations mark him as someone Jones will delight in exposing — his stated preference is not to win, but to win in an aesthetically pleasing manner that highlights the intelligence underwriting his athleticism. He’s dead serious about it.
Jones has too much speed. He can keep Teixeira at bay while both are upright and has more than enough ammunition to win the battle on the mat should it somehow go there without his permission.
It’s simply a lopsided matchup, which would make the upset all the more poetic. But Jones’ experience on the big stage and dances with tougher competition, not to mention all of the above, equate to what will be an extremely ugly fight.
Prediction: Jones via decision.
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