Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Sorry. I’m not here to lollygag around what everyone is thinking but no one is willing to say, so I guess I’ll take this one on the chin and get it out in the open. Glover Teixeira is in no way, shape or form, ready for a title shot … yet. Teixeira fought Ryan Bader last night and was lucky to come out with the win. Teixeira was able to use his experience and fight IQ to notice that Bader was going to throw another wild right hand at the side of his head and Teixeira countered perfectly with a left. The left was followed by a quick right and Bader was sleeping. It was pretty crazy to watch it live.
It’s not the first time that Teixeira has been in big trouble though. Anyone remember the absolute beating that Teixeira put on Fabio Maldonado? Does anyone remember how Maldonado badly rocked Teixeira at the end of the first? I understand that some people may see this as nit picking, and in a way, it is. I’m only doing it because people are trying to shoot Teixeira up the ladder to fight a person who is, arguably, the best fighter in the entire UFC right now.
Jon Jones is a savage. He has the biggest reach in the UFC, his wrestling is unorthodox and he has shown maturity in the Octagon that most veterans do not have. All of those things are honky-dory but Jones’s biggest talent is his ability to finish. Once Jones knows he has you hurt, it is pretty much over. It is the one thing that Teixeira’s opponents have not had and that is why we still need to see what he is made of. Teixeira needs to fight someone in the top five of the Light-Heavyweight before we can actually start making comparisons. Will Teixeira ever challenge for the belt? I have no doubt that he will be a challenger at one point, but his time is not now.
