UFC 202 fight card primer: Anthony Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira

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UFC 202 features a big light heavyweight co-main event between Anthony Johnson and Glover Teixeira. All the details are here in our b****y Elbow primer.

We"ve got an important co-main event on tap tonight at UFC 202, as Anthony Johnson (21-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) takes on Glover Teixeira (25-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in a battle of two of the top light heavyweights in the sport. Both men are coming off vicious 1st round KOs in UFC on FOX main events, and are respectively #1 and #2 in the UFC"s official rankings (with Jon Jones pulled due to his USADA drug test failure).

This fight was originally the UFC on FOX 20 co-main event in Chicago before Rumble had to withdraw due to personal reasons. It turns out we only needed to wait a month for this highly anticipated matchup. UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor 2 airs live from Las Vegas this Saturday, August 20. The main card airs on PPV with a fight time of 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT, with the prelims starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m PT on Fox Sports 1, and 6:30 p.m. ET/ 3:30 p.m. PT for the first three bouts on UFC Fight Pass.

How do these two stack up?

Johnson: 32 years old | 6"2" | 78" reachTeixeira: 36 years old | 6"2" | 76" reach

What have these two done recently?

Johnson: W - Ryan Bader (KO) | W - Jimi Manuwa (KO) | L - Daniel Cormier (SUB)Teixeira: W - Rashad Evans (KO) | W - Patrick Cummins (TKO) | W - Ovince Saint Preux (T. SUB)

Betting odds: (Via Bookmaker.eu)

Johnson: -195Teixeira: +167

How did these two get here?

Johnson has been fantastic at light heavyweight. After years of weight cutting mishaps at welterweight and middleweight, "Rumble" has only had one defeat in this weight class, and that"s against the current champion Daniel Cormier. His vaunted KO power has been on full display against other 205 lbs contenders, including a huge 1st round TKO of Alexander Gustafsson in Gustafsson"s home country of Sweden. Even in his submission loss to Cormier, Johnson knocked DC down in the first 30 seconds, which really shows you just how hard he hits. His last fight saw him dispatch Ryan Bader inside of 90 seconds with a ground-and-pound KO back in January.

Teixeira has also unsuccessfully challenged for the title, losing a one-sided unanimous decision to Jon Jones at UFC 172. A surprisingly lackluster defeat to Phil Davis at UFC 179 handed him his first ever two-fight losing streak. Since the two losses, Teixeira has looked spectacular, recording stoppages in all three of his fights during this winning run. He took a short notice bout against Rashad Evans in April, and walloped Evans with a left hook to destroy the former champion. Teixeira possesses high-level BJJ skills, as Ovince Saint Preux found out in August 2015, and Johnson is historically suspect on the ground. Unlike Rumble, Teixeira has never fought Daniel Cormier, and a win tonight would put him in prime position to get that matchup.

Why should you care?

This will be absolutely thrilling. You have two elite finishers going for a likely shot at the title, and it"s really one of the best (if not the best) light heavyweight fight you could make in the UFC that does NOT involve Jones or Cormier.

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/8/20/12563604/ufc-202-fight-card-primer-anthony-johnson-vs-glover-teixeira-primer-preview-analysis

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UFC 202 news conference ends abruptly after water bottles, energy ...

Here"s the best of UFC 202"s wild press conference

What started as yet another odd news conference involving Conor McGregor ended in complete chaos Wednesday at the MGM Grand.

McGregor arrived more than 15 minutes late, after UFC president Dana White began the news conference without the typically tardy Irish superstar, who will fight Nate Diaz in a rematch at UFC 202 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Once McGregor finally took his place on the dais, the situation quickly deteriorated.

Diaz, who appeared to be acting on the directions of his older brother and UFC star Nick Diaz, rose from his seat and walked off the stage in the David Copperfield Theater in the middle of McGregors response to a question just minutes after his arrival.

As Nate Diaz led his entourage toward the exit, he and some of his teammates held up their middle fingers and hurled expletives and threats at McGregor and his entourage, with McGregor firing back from the stage.

You will do (expletive) nothing, McGregor uttered several times. Get the (expletive) out of here.

Soon, more than words were flying through the air.

Water bottles were thrown in the direction of a group of McGregors friends and training partners, several of which were tossed directly back.

From the stage, McGregor grabbed an unopened can of an energy drink and lobbed it toward Diaz and his crew, which included UFC lightweight contender Gilbert Melendez and former UFC fighter Jake Shields.

UFC officials stopped McGregor from leaving the stage to physically confront Diaz, and hotel security and uniformed police officers kept the entourages separated.

An agitated White, who could be heard onstage instructing McGregor not to throw the can, quickly called an end to the news conference.

Sorry, guys. See you Saturday, said White, referring to the rematch between McGregor and Diaz, which will be contested at welterweight and tops a pay-per-view card that begins at 7 p.m.

Nobody appeared injured in the fracas, though several people were struck with projectiles, including rolls of tape.

Early on, it appeared the story of the day would be Whites decision to begin the news conference without the enigmatic headliner.

McGregor regularly shows up late for scheduled appearances, and his rematch against Diaz was removed from the UFC 200 card when McGregor decided not to fly to Las Vegas for a news conference, triggering a public spat between the featherweight champion and the organization.

He has to start respecting peoples time, man, White said of starting without McGregor. Yours, mine, (the other fighters), David Copperfields. Everybody.

Light heavyweights Anthony Johnson and Glover Teixeira, who will meet Saturday for the top contender spot, smiled through much of the drama onstage before they were whisked away by White.

It was not the first time there has been drama between the camps. Before the first meeting in March, a tense news conference in Los Angeles almost bubbled over into a physical altercation. During a staredown two days before the bout, McGregor took a swipe at Diazs hand and the two had to be separated.

Diazs camp also has a history of issues outside of competition, most notably a brawl on a 2010 Strikeforce card on CBS that was triggered when Jason Mayhem Miller entered the cage to challenge Shields to a fight and was violently beaten down by a group that included Nick and Nate Diaz.

The Diaz brothers also were involved in a skirmish with UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov last year while attending a World Series of Fighting event at Planet Hollywood.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.

Source: http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/mma-ufc/ufc-202-news-conference-ends-abruptly-after-water-bottles-energy-drinks-get-thrown

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