Is Glover Teixeira “The One”?
Is Glover Teixeira “The One”?
On April 26, in the Baltimore Arena, Glover Teixeira will be the seventh challenger to Jon Jones’ light heavyweight title.
Teixeira brings an impressive 20-fight winning streak to the table, not having a lost since 2005. This will be Teixeira’s sixth UFC appearance and number 15 for the champion.
Teixeira will face a task many have struggled to find success in when facing Jon “Bones” Jones, overcoming a great reach disadvantage. Jones is listed at 6’4″ with a reach of 84.5″…Teixeira stands at 6’2″ with a 76″ reach. This reach advantage has made it very difficult for many striking specialists to overcome when facing Jones (Mauricio Rua and Lyoto Machida, to name a few).
Here are three keys to Teixeira must have success in if he will emerge victorious:
1.) Close the gap: Teixeira has precise striking with devastating power, with 13 of his 22 wins coming via TKO/KO. All of this will not matter if Jones keeps Teixeira at bay with that nine-inch reach advantage. Teixeira will have to move in close and outbox Jones, and he will need to be careful of those elbows which Jones is notorious in using.
2.) Control the ground game: Teixeira is no stranger to the ground game with his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The last BJJ black belt Jones faced was Vitor Belfort. Jones was nearly submitted with a tight arm bar that caused some of his tendons to pop. Teixeira does not want to fight off of his back though. Jones is possibly one of the best in the biz when it comes to ground and pound. If Teixeira is on his back, there is a good chance he gets caught with one of those nasty elbows Jones is known to drop, and he could suffer a fight-ending cut.
3.) Cardio: This fight is scheduled for five rounds and Teixeira will need to be ready for a five-round affair, those championship rounds are what separate the pretenders from the contenders. If the fight hits rounds four and five, this will be uncharted territory for Teixeira, with three rounds being the furthest he has ever gone in his MMA career.
