MMA Preview – Thiago Santos vs Glover Teixeira at UFC Vegas 13
THIAGO SANTOS VS GLOVER TEIXEIRA FACTS
When is UFC Vegas 13? Sunday 8th November, 2020 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Vegas 13? UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Vegas 13? No tickets are available as this event will take place without spectators
What channel is UFC Vegas 13 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Vegas 13? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
THIAGO SANTOS VS GLOVER TEIXEIRA LOWDOWN
Thiago Santos (21-7) makes his return after his thrilling title fight with Jon Jones back in July last year. He earnt the shot after an impressive four-fight streak including a knockout over the current champion Jan Blachowicz. He had Jones in dark waters but blew his left knee out and partially tore the ACL in his right knee requiring surgeries on both knees. Those injuries early in the fight were such a shame as he looked great, hurting Jones with his power and even took him to a split decision carrying those catastrophic injuries. It is the price you pay for being a warrior as the torn ligaments were a result of continuing to throw kicks after the initial tears early in the fight and he has been rehabbing ever since.
Meanwhile, as Jan Blachowicz captured the vacant title, Glover Teixeira (31-7) has quietly stretched his winning streak to four and hopefully the winner of this fight will be granted a shot at the new champ. Teixeira’s streak started after his unanimous decision loss to Corey Anderson where he submitted Karl Roberson and Ion Cutelaba. He then earnt a tight decision over Nikita Krylov before putting a beating on Anthony Smith proving he has a lot of fuel in his final pursuit for UFC gold.
THIAGO SANTOS VS GLOVER TEIXEIRA PREDICTION
Stats-wise, they match up very similarly. They are both 6’2” with a 76-inch reach and had 19 UFC fights with common opponents so their striking and grappling stats are very relevant here. They both have a virtually identical significant strike accuracy, defence and strikes landed per minute but Teixeira eats slightly more shots per minute (3.87) to Santos (2.19).
Santos also has a slightly higher output, but it is his speed and power that will give him the edge and he will be desperate to keep the fight on the feet. Teixeira is better technically, certainly in his hands, but Santos is unpredictable and can cause fight ending damage from anywhere.
Expect Teixeira to resort to his grappling and clinch up with Santos hoping to eventually gain top control to rain down ground-and-pound. Santos is also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu but not quite on the same level as Teixeira so he will also have to defend the submission attempts if the fight does go to the floor.
If the Santos that started his fight with Jones turns up he will walk through Teixeira but after 16 months out repairing his knees, he may be more reluctant to throw his devastating leg kicks. He also has a lot of weight to cut and Teixeira will exploit any holes in his preparations.
Teixeira eats a lot of shots and when Santos lands, he hurts people so the difference will be Santos’ excellent takedown defence which will provide opportunities to offload that fight-ending power.
Prediction: Santos via KO/TKO
