Who Should Be Next For Glover Teixeira After UFC 160?

Glover Teixeira made short work of James Te Huna at UFC 160, sinking in a tight guillotine choke in the very first round to earn a submission win. Teixeira, who is unbeaten in eight years, has made a serious impression since joining the UFC back in May 2012. He is no up and comer though, Teixeira has fought for almost 11 years now, competing 23 times in total. His win over Te Huna cemented Teixeira’s place in the elite of the UFC‘s LHW division.

So who should he face next? Well the options are Lyoto Machida, perhaps Phil Davis, Alexander Gustafsson and Jon Jones. With Dan Henderson, Rashad Evans, Lil Nog and ‘Shogun’ tied up in fights at the minute, they are mostly out of the equation. There is the possibility of Teixeira facing the winner of Shogun vs. Nogueira, but in my mind the right fight for Teixeira is Lyoto Machida.

I think it is too soon for Teixeira to fight Jon Jones, Teixeira’s biggest win to date was over Quinton Jackson. ‘Rampage’ was well past his prime and pretty much done by the time he fought Teixeira, not taking anything away from Teixeira, but he needs at least one more big name before even considering  Jones vs. Teixeira.

I’d say Phil Davis is behind Teixeira in the rankings, and probably not enough of a challenge for Teixeira. So that leaves Gustafsson and Machida, with the odd one out facing Jones for the title. Alexander Gustafsson is on a six fight win streak at the minute, most recently beating Shogun Rua. Machida has beaten Dan Henderson and Ryan Bader since being choked unconscious by Jon Jones at UFC 140.

I think Gustafsson has done more for the title shot, and also Machida already had a shot so recently that it would almost be a Velasquez vs. Silva 2 scenario. We don’t need that rematch yet because the first fight only hapenned 18 months ago, or two fights ago in terms of Lyoto’s career. I think the most logical answer is Jones vs. Gustafsson and Machida for Teixeira. A fight against Machida will prove as a measuring stick for Teixeira, it will help decipher whether or not he has what it takes to be a title contender.

Machida is the former champion and really is a tough fight for anyone at 205. It is certainly a big enough step up in competition for Teixeira at this stage, plus I really want to see Gus vs. Jones!!