How Thiago Santos vs Glover Teixeira will affect light heavyweight title fight of Jan Blachowicz vs Adesanya
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After Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira were booked for a main event fight at UFC Vegas 13, most believed the winner would move onto face new light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz.
Considering Santos had already knocked out Blachowicz in their previous fight, Teixeira, meanwhile, has notched four straight wins. Fifth win in a row would seemingly put him next in contention for the title.
When UFC President Dana White broke the news that middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is set to move 205 pounds for his next bout to challenge Jan Blachowicz. It’s understandable that both fighters were shocked.
“We’ll see what happens after this fight,” Santos said on media day at UFC Vegas 13 Thursday. “First, I have to win [against] Glover Teixeira. I have to do my best. I will be the No. 1 candidate. We will see what will happen after my fight. I believe whoever wins the fight deserves to qualify for the title.
”We will see. I know Dana White mentioned Adesanya but nobody knows. [Adesanya] don’t have a contract, no one knows what’s going to happen. I have to do my best this Saturday. I need to win my fight and then we’ll see.
Santos had knee surgery that kept him out for over a year after losing a close and split decision to former champion Jon Jones.
Blachowicz now installed as the champion, the Brazilian contender was convinced that a victory over Teixeira would put him back in line to compete for gold in the UFC, but the news of Adesanya threw an unexpected obstacle in his path.
“Honestly when I saw the first time I felt a bit frustrated,” Santos said of Blachowicz against Adesanya. “But after speaking with my manager, we have to understand how things work. I have to do my best. I need to win [against] Glover Teixeira and after this fight we will see what will happen.
“People talk about Adesanya but they still don’t have a contract. Everything can change. My goal is to do my best this Saturday, to have a big win and then we’ll see,” Santos said during the UFC Vegas 13 media day on Thursday.
Teixeira thinks it could change the UFC’s plans, and he won’t be afraid
Teixeira can’t put too much energy into thinking about Adesanya when he still has to get through Santos before even having the conversation about a title shot.
The 41-year-old veteran has already seen the promised title fights go down the drain, so there’s no guarantee Adesanya will ultimately get the shot against Blachowicz.
“I’m focused on the things that I can control,” Teixeira said. “Focused on the present moment right now. This fight is three days away, so I don’t really care what happens there. Not that I don’t care. Really, it’s out of my control. As a fan, I’ll be watching the fight, Adesanya and Blachowicz, but it’s not something I control.
“Everything is possible. We have to focus on the fight and with the title fight we’ll see what happens. With a great performance I could be there in the title challenge.
According to Teixeira, the real difference between a title fight and staying on the sidelines while waiting for another opportunity could be the kind of performance he achieves against Santos.
Teixeira thinks it could change the UFC’s plans, and he won’t be afraid to voice that opinion to the powers that be. square.
“We’ll see after this fight – we go out there and make some noise,” Teixeira said. “I never really talk too much shit, but if I have to do a little bit to promote this fight and get Adesanya out of there to win the title fight, that’s what I’m going to do. Bring him back to Division 185.
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