Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight talents Glover Teixeira and Corey Anderson will collide this Sunday (July 22, 2018) at UFC Fight Night 134 inside Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany.
Glover Teixeira’s resilience cannot be questioned. Just as it seemed that the 38-year-old Brazilian’s time as a top fighter was up on the heels of two knockout losses in less than 12 months, Teixeira showed there was still plenty left in the tank by putting a beating on the well-regarded Misha Cirkunov.
On the other hand, Anderson has my vote as one of the roster’s most underappreciated fighters. Despite being just five years into his pro career, Anderson has been top-ranked for a while now, forced to learn on the fly while taking on some of his division’s most dangerous veterans.
Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man.
Glover Teixeira
Record: 27-6
Key Wins: Ryan Bader (UFC 160), Rashad Evans (UFC on FOX 19), Ovince St. Preux (UFC Fight Night 73), Quinton Jackson (UFC on FOX 6), Misha Cirkunov (UFC on FOX 26)
Key Losses: Jon Jones (UFC 172), Alexander Gustafsson (UFC Fight Night 109), Anthony Johnson (UFC 202), Phil Davis (UFC 179)
Keys to Victory: Teixeira is a violent man. Aptly nicknamed “Hands of Stone,” the Brazilian has finished an insane 16 opponents via knockout. Furthermore, Teixeira is a powerful wrestler with excellent jiu-jitsu, making him a well-rounded threat in all areas.
Opposite Anderson, Teixeira should attempt to prey on his foe’s inexperience. Anderson has learned a lot over the years in the Octagon, but his resume cannot compare to the Brazilian’s 16 years of professional combat.
It’s also a simple fact that Teixeira hits way harder than Anderson and is a much more dangerous finisher. He also tends to be quite hard to take down early in fights, meaning that he should be able to press Anderson early and really put the pressure on. In the past, Anderson has struggled to defend against power shots when unable to tie up his opponent with wrestling, and Teixeira has both the power and counter grappling necessary to put him in a similar situation.
Corey Anderson
Record: 10-4
Key Wins: Jan Blachowicz (UFC 191), Patrick Cummins (UFC Fight Night 128), Tom Lawlor (UFC 196), Fabio Maldonado (UFC Fight Night 77)
Key Losses: Ovince Saint Preux (UFC 217), Jimi Manuwa (UFC Fight Night 107), Mauricio Rua (UFC 198), Gian Villante (UFC on FOX 15)
Keys to Victory: Though his technical skills have developed well over the years, Anderson remains a wrestler first and foremost whose greatest skill is conditioning. In his last two fights in particularly, Anderson has done a better job of blending his kickboxing and wrestling, doing a better job of controlling and understanding range.
In this bout, Anderson’s reach will be important. Back in 2014, Phil Davis showed a viable blueprint for defeating Teixeira, one that Anderson himself has the skills to replicate.
Range control is the first factor. Anderson does not have the durability to trade with Teixeira in the pocket, so he’ll have to make use of kicks and a long jab to keep Teixeira out of his preferred distance. While I have talked a bit about Teixeira’s punching power, it’s also worth noting that his own jaw is no longer granite — he cannot safely walk straight through Anderson’s punches if Anderson occasionally threatens to really sit down on them.
When Teixeira does pressure heavily, it’s time to shoot. Davis struggled to take Teixeira down off the initial shot, but he did find success in circling to his back after hitting the hips, and that’s another piece of the puzzle Anderson could copy.
Bottom Line: It’s an important bout between fringe contenders.
If we’re being honest, Gustafsson and Johnson thrashed Teixeira so badly it’s hard to see him ever going on any sort of title run this late in his career. It will require a series of great, dominant performances, which would include a knockout victory here. In that case, Teixeira would be on a win streak, perhaps ready to face someone like Ilir Latifi.
A loss makes any title dreams even more unrealistic.
As for Anderson, he’s at a crossroads. At his point in his career — 28 years old and five years in as a pro — things may be coming together for him, but Anderson should be entering his prime and cannot afford many more losses. He’s been stopped three times already and is facing another dangerous puncher. That’s a risky situation that could prevent him from reaching his full potential, but it could also be Anderson’s moment to score his biggest win yet.
At UFC Fight Night 134, Glover Teixeira and Corey Anderson will square off in the co-main event. Which man will have his hand raised?