Former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira (43, Brazil) is set to recapture the title against Jamahal Hill (31, USA) in his homeland. Flyweight champion Davidson Figueredo (35, Brazil) will fight interim champion Brandon Moreno (29, Mexico) in the UFC’s first four fight.
UFC, a mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, will hold UFC 283: Teixeira VS Hill at the Jiunis Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the 22nd (hereinafter Korean time). It is the first Brazilian competition in three years since the Corona 19 pandemic.
As it is a tournament in Brazil after a long time, all Brazilian stars including Teixeira, Figueredo, and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Hua are mobilizing.
In the main event, former champion and current No. 2 Teixeira (33-8) will face No. 7 Hill (11-1-1 void) for the unclaimed light heavyweight title. The light heavyweight championship was vacated after former champion Yuri Prohaska vacated the title due to a shoulder injury. Jan Blahovic and Magomed Ankalaev fought for a title fight to crown a new champion, but were unable to determine the title due to a split draw. In the end, a new title match between veteran Teixeira and Shinsung Hill was concluded.
Teixeira holds the record for being the second oldest champion in UFC history (42 years old) behind Randy Couture (45 years and 4 months). He entered the UFC at the late age of 32 and climbed to the top, but he was evaluated as having clear limits by being defeated by top fighters such as Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. However, he surpassed everyone’s expectations and eventually became the light heavyweight champion in 2021.
But they couldn’t defend themselves. Teixeira lost the title to Yuri Prohaska in June last year by submission via rear naked choke in the fifth round. The regret was greater because I was forced to go for a submission in a situation where I had an advantage in hitting and lost.
Teixeira attributed his last loss to being too obsessed with the ground. He said, “I will focus on everything this time. I will believe in my fists and the ground,” he said. “I will not be obsessed with winning in any area. I just want to finish the game in any area,” he said.
Confronting this, Hill believes that his and Teixeira’s title aspirations are different. Unlike Teixeira, who has three title fights, this is Hill’s first title challenge in his career.
“When I faced Teixeira, he saw the aspiration in his eyes,” Hill said. “I saw him ready,” he said, “but it never quite matched my aspirations.” “I was starving. I’m ready to finish the game. I am a killer,” he added.
While Teixeira has a well-rounded style that combines boxing and wrestling, Hill specializes in striking. Hill was thrashed on the ground in round 1 by Paul Craig in 2021. It is expected that the key to victory will be how much Hill has complemented the ground over the past two years.
In the co-main event, UFC flyweight champion Figueredo (21 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses) and interim champion Moreno (20 wins, 2 draws, 6 losses) will fight for the unified title. It is the first fight in the UFC. Currently, the game is tight with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss. Whoever wins this time will go down in history as the winner.
Contender Moreno, a former champion, is determined to put an end to his rivalry with Figueredo with this showdown. He said, “This is the last dance. My plan is to definitely end the rivalry with this match. I’m going to finish Figueredo. I’ve already finished him. I know how it feels. I’m going to finish again. This is it.” cried out 바카라사이트
Champion Figueredo thinks the support from the Brazilian home crowd will make a big difference. “In the last two games, it felt like 85% of the crowd was Mexican. Now Moreno fights in Brazil. All the spectators are on my side. So there will be a big difference. The entire Brazilian people are cheering me on,” he said with confidence.
Shogun, who has been greatly loved in Korea since the days of Pride FC, will retire after this tournament. His opponent is Horpoteria Lee (26, Ukraine).