Light Heavyweights
Glover Teixeira (28-7, +145) vs. Ion Cutelaba (14-3, -165): Corey Anderson finally knocked Teixeira from the ranks of the light heavyweight elite, but the Brazilian remains a capably strong gatekeeper. Visa issues delayed Teixeira’s UFC debut for years, but once the he finally hit the Octagon, it was off to the races, as Teixeira quickly made his way up the ranks to a title fight against Jon Jones. Teixeira lost in one-sided fashion, but still hung around the fringes of the divisional elite for years. The very best of the division, like Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson, managed to pick apart Teixeira -- or in Johnson’s case, instantly knock out the World Extreme Cagefighting veteran -- but otherwise, Teixeira’s blend of toughness and veteran skill was enough to send back flawed prospect after flawed prospect. That remained the case until the Anderson fight in July, the first bout where Teixeira truly looked old compared to a much younger and faster fighter. Teixeira’s most recent fight against Karl Roberson showed that the veteran contender can still wade through danger and work a strong submission game, but nearing 40 years old, the wheels are in danger of falling off at any moment. Either way, Cutelaba still figures to be a tough challenge.Cutelaba has been a fun addition to the UFC roster since his 2016 debut and seems as good a choice as any to get a breakthrough win. The Moldovan mostly crushed cans during his way to the Octagon, and the confidence that approach breeds still shines through, as Cutelaba’s style is marked by unchecked aggression. Cutelaba constantly moves forward to spark a war, and while wrestling by the likes of Misha Cirkunov and Jared Cannonier managed to control him a bit, his last fight showed that it may take more than that now, as he survived the takedown game of Gadzhimurad Antigulov to score a first-round knockout. Cutelaba is still clearly among the ranks of the light heavyweight division’s flawed fighters, as that over-aggressive approach leaves him open to smarter opponents, but brute force should still serve him well in the years to come.
This is a clear two-outcome fight. Teixeira should be able to look for takedowns, at which point it becomes a matter of if Teixeira can score a submission or Cutelaba can get back to his feet and successfully hunt for a knockout. Even a year ago, this pick might have been different, but this seems like the right convergence point for Cutelaba to win. The Moldovan showed the ability to survive grappling exchanges in his last fight, and more importantly, Teixeira is finally starting to show his age. The pick is Cutelaba via first-round knockout.
Next Fight » Lineker vs. Sandhagen