Tag: UFC 172

Phil Davis Doesn’t Think Jon Jones Will Fight Glover Teixeira

Phil Davis, “Mr. Wonderful,” is ready and willing to step in and fight Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 because he doesn’t think Jon Jones will make the fight.
In an interview with MMAJunkie Radio (h/t Steven Marrocco), Davis said he had a …

Phil Davis, “Mr. Wonderful,” is ready and willing to step in and fight Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 because he doesn’t think Jon Jones will make the fight.

In an interview with MMAJunkie Radio (h/t Steven Marrocco), Davis said he had a “sneaky suspicion” that Jones will not make it to his next title fight. Davis went on to explain why he must be ready to face Teixeira in Jones’ stead.

“I’m just going to tell you the short version,” Davis said. “Alexander Gustafsson put tips all over that boy. [Jones] doesn’t know up from down, left from right. So I really don’t see him wanting to get back in there with anybody—definitely not Alexander. I don’t even think he wants to get back in there with Glover Teixeira—bless his little heart.”

Thus, the “sneaky suspicion” blooms into a prediction of flight rather than fight for the UFC light heavyweight champion due to his Fight of the Year effort against Gustafsson at UFC 165. Jones retained his title in the bout but suffered the first takedowns of his career while getting battered and bloodied.

Against Teixeira, Jones will enjoy a staggering eight-and-a-half-inch reach advantage and a two-inch height advantage—two things he did not have against Gustafsson. In the past, when Jones had such advantages, he made his fights look easy.

As for Davis, he is in good health, has a clear schedule and is just waiting for a fight offer to come his way. His last bout was a controversial decision victory over Lyoto Machida at UFC 163 in August of last year.

Whether or not his prediction of Jones falling out of his fight with Teixeira at UFC 172—scheduled for April 26—comes true remains to be seen.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira (Finally) Official for UFC 172, April 26th in Baltimore


(Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting.com)

After being tentatively scheduled and scrapped three separate times, the UFC light-heavyweight championship fight between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira has been officially announced for the main event of UFC 172, which will take place April 26th at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. It will be the UFC’s first visit to Baltimore, a magical place known for its scenic beauty.

Though Baltimore isn’t exactly a big-money fight town, Jones does have a geographical connection to the city, as his older brother Arthur Jones is a defensive end for the Baltimore Ravens. Plus, the champ’s east coast roots in New York State have led the UFC to repeatedly book him in Toronto and Newark during his title run, and Teixeira is a longtime resident of Connecticut, which is close enough I guess.

Jones is currently sitting as high as a -750 favorite for his bout against Teixeira. But this is MMA, and anything can happen. Right, Dalai Lama?

No other matchups for UFC 172 have been announced yet.


(Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting.com)

After being tentatively scheduled and scrapped three separate times, the UFC light-heavyweight championship fight between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira has been officially announced for the main event of UFC 172, which will take place April 26th at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. It will be the UFC’s first visit to Baltimore, a magical place known for its scenic beauty.

Though Baltimore isn’t exactly a big-money fight town, Jones does have a geographical connection to the city, as his older brother Arthur Jones is a defensive end for the Baltimore Ravens. Plus, the champ’s east coast roots in New York State have led the UFC to repeatedly book him in Toronto and Newark during his title run, and Teixeira is a longtime resident of Connecticut, which is close enough I guess.

Jones is currently sitting as high as a -750 favorite for his bout against Teixeira. But this is MMA, and anything can happen. Right, Dalai Lama?

No other matchups for UFC 172 have been announced yet.

Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira Official for UFC 172 on April 26 in Baltimore

After much time and speculation, the light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira has an official time and date. The two will face off at UFC 172 on April 26 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, MD. The news was first report…

After much time and speculation, the light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira has an official time and date. The two will face off at UFC 172 on April 26 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, MD. The news was first reported by The Baltimore Sun.

While the two have been paired off for a long while now, the actual date of the bout has been pushed back on numerous occasions. 

The fight was initially planned for UFC 169. UFC President Dana White would retract that later, and would instead slide in Dominick Cruz vs. Renan Barao as the card’s main event (which has since been changed to Renan Barao vs. Urijah Faber). The fight was then pushed back to UFC 170. Then it was pushed back again to UFC 171.

Now, it finally seems to have settled into the top spot for UFC 172. For real this time!

Fans will remember that the matchup of Jones and Teixeira was something of a shock. After being pushed to his limit by Swedish brawler Alexander Gustafsson in a thrilling fight at UFC 165, most observers anticipated a rematch between the two. Reasons remain vague, but with Gustafsson also slated to face Jimi Manuwa in March, a rematch seems to be shelved indefinitely.

This is the UFC’s first foray into Baltimore. While there were reports and speculation that the event may not actually take place in Maryland, Ravens fans can now look forward to a critical light heavyweight title fight.

There are currently no other fights announced for the card, so stick with Bleacher Report for more details on the card as they become available.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

3 Local Fighters We’d Love to See on a Baltimore UFC Card

There are rumors that UFC 172, scheduled for April 12, might go down in Baltimore. The event also is purportedly being headlined by a title fight between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and challenger Glover Teixeira.
The champ and Charm City have…

There are rumors that UFC 172, scheduled for April 12, might go down in Baltimore. The event also is purportedly being headlined by a title fight between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and challenger Glover Teixeira.

The champ and Charm City have a connection. Though Jones is a native of upstate New York, his older brother Arthur is a starting defensive lineman for the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.

Baltimore is not generally considered an MMA hotbed, although the city’s blue-collar, sports-happy population does have some interest in the sport. 

Here are three local fighters who should join Jones and Teixeira on the card.

 

Mike Easton

As the only active UFC fighter based in Maryland, the high-energy bantamweight grinder faces Team Alpha Male’s T.J. Dillashaw on Jan. 15 at UFC Fight Night 35. If UFC 172 does go down on April 12, that would be a quick turnaround for Easton. But it’s doable. He is closer to D.C. than Baltimore, but he’ll surely get plenty of local love from the crowd. I would personally give him the local guy a chance here, even if he loses to Dillashaw next Wednesday—a loss that would be third straight in the UFC octagon.

 

Sean Santella 

“Shorty Rock” is one of the top flyweight prospects outside the UFC. What better time to snap him up? The New Jersey native is only a short drive down the I-95 to Baltimore, and he would add a big spark to a thin—but expanding—125-pound division. Personally, I’d enjoy watching him tangle Jussier Formiga.

 

Phil Davis

Plenty of Marylanders head to State College for their higher education. So Davis, a Penn State alumnus and wrestling champ, would resonate with the locals. And as it happens, he doesn’t have a fight scheduled at the moment, although he is dancing around Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. That matchup would make UFC 172 a true feast for light heavyweight fans.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira Re-Re-*Re*-Booked for UFC 172


(This is the closest thing to a photo of Jones and Teixeira in the same room that currently exists. Via IFWT.)

Look, we know it might seem trivial to complain about anything in the wake of Georges St. Pierre’s retirishment, but this is getting f*cking ridiculous.

In the short history of their light heavyweight title fight, Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira has been shuffled between venues and fight cards like a troubled tween between foster homes. And while we were confident that UFC 171 would finally take these two in and provide them with a warm bowl of soup and a cot to rest on, metaphorically speaking, it appears that the matchup has been moved again in light of the recently booked welterweight interim title fight between Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks.

MMAJunkie passes along word that Jones vs. Teixeira will now serve as the main event of UFC 172, which will transpire at the Baltimore Arena in April. No specific date for UFC 172 has been set as of this write up.

As of now, Jones vs. Teixeira is the only fight to be booked for UFC 172, so I don’t have much else to talk about, really. Did you guys hear that Iran sent its second monkey into space and back recently? Or that The Beatles are releasing 59 rare and unheard tracks next week? Crazy times, you guys. Crazy times.

–J. Jones


(This is the closest thing to a photo of Jones and Teixeira in the same room that currently exists. Via IFWT.)

Look, we know it might seem trivial to complain about anything in the wake of Georges St. Pierre’s retirishment, but this is getting f*cking ridiculous.

In the short history of their light heavyweight title fight, Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira has been shuffled between venues and fight cards like a troubled tween between foster homes. And while we were confident that UFC 171 would finally take these two in and provide them with a warm bowl of soup and a cot to rest on, metaphorically speaking, it appears that the matchup has been moved again in light of the recently booked welterweight interim title fight between Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks.

MMAJunkie passes along word that Jones vs. Teixeira will now serve as the main event of UFC 172, which will transpire at the Baltimore Arena in April. No specific date for UFC 172 has been set as of this write up.

As of now, Jones vs. Teixeira is the only fight to be booked for UFC 172, so I don’t have much else to talk about, really. Did you guys hear that Iran sent its second monkey into space and back recently? Or that The Beatles are releasing 59 rare and unheard tracks next week? Crazy times, you guys. Crazy times.

–J. Jones

Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira off UFC 171 Card, Confirmed for UFC 172 Main Event

Dana White confirmed the UFC 171 main event between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira on a conference call Friday. 
After announcing that Robbie Lawler would take on Johny Hendricks March 15 in Dallas, Texas, for the vacated welterweight title, W…

Dana White confirmed the UFC 171 main event between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira on a conference call Friday. 

After announcing that Robbie Lawler would take on Johny Hendricks March 15 in Dallas, Texas, for the vacated welterweight title, White said that the light heavyweight championship bout stands as the night’s main event. 

The problem with all this is…Mr. White misspoke. 

Taking to Twitter moments after the press conference ended, White apologized for his slip up, saying: 

Stacking a card with two title fights, one between Lawler vs. Hendricks and one between Jones vs. Teixeira, would have been absolutely bonkers, but it is not to be at this time. 

Instead, the two light heavyweight monsters will headline UFC 172, an event which was previously planned to host a heavyweight title clash between Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdrum in Mexico City. 

After Velasquez suffered an injury, however, this bout and any plans to venture into Mexico were scrapped, and Jones vs. Teixeira will take its place. 

Teixeira, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with serious punching power, poses a threat to Jones’ throne on the feet or on the ground.

After looking human for the first time in his UFC stint against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, Jones will need to step up his game to avoid another stumble against a powerhouse like Teixeira. 

Details regarding the time and location for UFC 172 remain unclear. According to MMAjunkie.com, the event will take place April 12, 2014, with Jones vs. Teixeira serving as the only confirmed matchup at this time.

Who do you favor in this main event? Does the champion surge back with a vengeance, or has his time at the top come to an end?  

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com