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