...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The UFC has locked up a date and location for Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira, as the fight will indeed come to Baltimore, Maryland this April.
The UFC confirmed the bout will headline UFC 172 at The Baltimore Arena via a report from the Baltimore Sun. The event will take place on April 26 on pay-per-view, and this card will mark the UFC's first ever trip to Baltimore.
Both fighters return to action for the first time since September, as this bout has been announced and delayed for several events already.
Jones defeated Alexander Gustafsson in the Fight of the Year for 2013 at UFC 165, surpassing Tito Ortiz's previous record for most consecutive title defenses in the UFC's light heavyweight division. The champ is connected to the city by his older brother Arthur, who plays for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.
As for Teixeira, the top Brazilian contender secured his title fight with his fifth straight win in the Octagon in September. After 2013 wins over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and James Te Huna, Teixeira knocked out Ryan Bader after getting rocked himself.
Penick's Analysis: This is the date and location that had been previously reported for the fight, but it hadn't officially been locked down yet. Now it has, and Jones and Teixeira can finally square off in a few months after several delays. The UFC is going to need to hope for big numbers from Jones, because right now he and Ronda Rousey are the two biggest names on the roster. They have to carry pay-per-view until more can emerge to assist them on that front. As for this fight itself, Jones has now been pushed to the brink by an opponent, and it's not likely Teixeira's going to present a similar challenge to that of Alexander Gustafsson. He's got stopping power, of course, but Jones should enter this fight as a heavy favorite.
[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
