UFC Predictions: UFC 267: Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira
After a few weeks of largely forgettable Fight Night shows, the UFC is back with a bang this weekend with UFC 267: Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira, a huge event from Abu Dhabi.
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UFC 267 features two title bouts, as well as a number of the best up-and-coming fighters in the world in action. It should be a must-see show for any UFC fan.
With that in mind, here are the predicted outcomes for UFC 267: Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira.
#1. UFC light heavyweight title: Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira
This UFC light heavyweight title bout is both one of the most unlikely title fights in UFC history, but also one of the oldest.
With a combined age of 79, itβs amazing that Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira are even still competing in the UFC, let alone fighting for a world title. Right now, though, itβs hard to deny that theyβre the best two 205lbers in the world. So who will come out on top in this massive clash?
Blachowicz has undoubtedly been on one of the best and most surprising runs in recent UFC history. The Polish fighter looked on the verge of being cut from the promotion after losing four of five fights between 2015 and 2017. He then turned it around suddenly with a win over Devin Clark later that year.
From there, heβs lost just once in 10 octagon visits, a knockout loss to Thiago Santos in 2019. He has beaten fighters like Corey Anderson, Dominick Reyes and Jacare Souza on his way to claiming the UFC light heavyweight title, which was vacated by Jon Jones.
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His latest win, a unanimous decision over current UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya, may have been his most impressive yet. Not only did Blachowicz show off the heavy-handed, sharp boxing skills that took him to the top of the division, but he also demonstrated a much improved ground game too.
Teixeira, meanwhile, looked all but finished a couple of years ago when it appeared that his chin was on the wane. He suffered two bad KO losses to Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson. He was then ground down by Anderson in a fight that made him look every bit the senior citizen.
Since then, however, heβs gotten back onto the winning track, with his victories over Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos netting him this title shot..
This one is an interesting bout because both men have somewhat similar skills. They largely rely on their heavy hands and boxing skills to take their opponents out. While Teixeira is the more credentialed grappler, both men are more than capable of dishing out damage following a takedown.
However, despite Teixeiraβs strong recent run, Blachowicz should probably be favored here for one major reason: his superior speed. Nobody's going to confuse him with a rapid-fire puncher, but heβs surprisingly quick for a big man and his jab in particular can keep a more plodding foe at bay.
Teixeira is a concussive puncher and heβs probably the better finisher of the two, but if he canβt get past Blachowiczβs jab, then heβs going to be in trouble.
Assuming the Polish powerhouse can also avoid the Brazilianβs takedowns, then he should be able to either box his way to a decision or catch Teixeira with something heavy later in the fight and put him away there.
The Pick: Blachowicz via fourth-round TKO
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