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UFC 179: Teixeira vs. Davis
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Published: 10/25/2014  at  4:58:00 AM
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UFC 179: Teixeira vs. Davis

Saturday, Oct. 25 – 11:00 p.m. ET
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Glover Teixeira (22-3) vs. Phil Davis (12-2)

Light heavyweight bout
Line: Teixeira -290, Davis +225

Glover Teixeira looks to get back to his winning ways on Saturday night at UFC 179, as he takes on one of the most talented MMA fighters in Phil Davis.

Teixeira looks to bounce back from his first loss in nine years, as he fell to the champion Jon Jones on April 26. While Teixeira took Jones the distance, he was completely dominated in the fight as Jones held a 138-53 striking advantage with three takedowns and two submissions. The 34-year-old from Brazil is an experienced fighter who has the ability to win a fight in many different ways, especially by way of knockout, as he has tremendous power in his punches. However, he struggled with Jones’ length and athleticism in the fight, and Davis may be the only other guy in the class with that type of athleticism. Like Teixeira, Davis is coming off a tough loss, dropping a unanimous decision to Anthony Johnson on April 26. Johnson held a significant 45-21 advantage for significant strikes in that matchup. Davis, a 30-year-old from Pennsylvania, is an incredible athlete, who has the speed and quickness to wear his opponent out. Teixeira is looking to get back in title contention, but Davis needs that signature win in his career. Look for the underdog DAVIS to use a strategy similar to what Jones did, and to wear Teixeira out.

"Mr. Wonderful" Davis has 12 victories in his career, with six of those victories coming by decision. He also has four wins by submission, with the other two coming by way of knockout. Teixeira is a great fighter, but Davis should be able to use his incredible cardio and conditioning to get the win. If he tries to go punch-for-punch against Teixeira, then he could be in for a tough match. While both fighters are 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Davis has superior length, and will need to keep Teixeira away from him as much as possible. He has shown the ability to defend punches, blocking nearly 71 percent of his opponent’s strikes. If he is able to ward off Teixeira’s punches, Davis will have a great chance to get the win. However, if this match turns into a brawl, Teixeira will be in great shape to get the victory.

Teixeira has 22 victories in his career, with 14 of those coming by way of knockout. He also has five wins by submission, with the other three coming by decision. Teixeira has a huge advantage in this fight with his striking, as he lands 5.0 significant strikes per minute, compared to only 2.9 for Davis. Not only does he land more strikes, but Teixeira is more accurate when it comes to landing those strikes at 43 percent, compared to 35 percent for his opponent. Teixeira has tremendous power in his striking, making him very difficult to defeat. This match will come down to who is able to control the speed and tempo of the fight, and Teixeira wants to turn this into a slugfest.


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