On Sept 4, the UFC returns to Brazil, along with Fox Sports 1 for the new network’s first Brazilian outing.
Headlining the Fox Sports 1 card, Brazilian veteran Glover Teixeira (21-2) takes on Ryan Bader (15-3).
On a 19-fight win streak stretching back to 2006, Teixeira is 4-0 in the UFC, ranked as the promotion’s #3 light-heavyweight contender, steadily progressing towards what many see as overdue title contention. With the bout originally set for May 25, Bader withdrew due to injury, opening the door for James Te Huna to step in on short notice, only for the vastly experienced Teixeira to submit the New Zealander in under 3-minutes, at UFC 160.
Ranked as the UFC’s #10 205lb contender, ‘Darth’ Bader was close to title contention himself in 2011. The American was 12-0, taking on the technically unbeaten Jon Jones at UFC 126. Jones won the bout in round-2, and went on to claim the light-heavyweight title later that year. 3-2 since that loss, Bader most recently submitted Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC on Fox in January, just 50-seconds into the first round. Bader has much to gain from the Fox Sports 1 clash, victory over the highly rated Teixeira would brush aside recent mixed fortunes, and re-establish the hard-hitting wrestling specialist as a top title threat.
Brought to you by Jorden Curran. Follow Jorden on Twitter @onejcurran
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