UFC 283 Preview:
Teixeira vs. Hill
By Michael Jones - @keepingitrealmma
& Dave Manley - @mmabobblehead
After all the personal chaos at home (in-laws) or last-second holiday shopping in frenzied department stores, (yeah right, I bought all my gifts on Amazon, no sweat),
Don't get too cocky bud, you're still part of the problem.
After all that and the traumatic surge of domestic violence raging on between UFC affiliates,
if after all of this, you've still managed to rationalize sticking around, while we geek out on some good ol' fashioned combat sports… Welp, congrats on being just as disassociated and clinically insane as we are.
1. Glover Teixeira (33-8) vs. Jamahal Hill (11-1-1NC)
"Jamahal Hill can be outwrestled! Anyone in the Light Heavyweight division with a solid gas tank who can chain wrestle can beat this guy. Didn’t the former GOAT of this division do that fairly well? Not to mention the most recent former champion in Glover Teixeira" (8/08/22).
After some light digging I managed to scrounge up my exact thought after Jamahal Hill beat Thiago Santos by 4th round TKO, a.k.a. an exhausted Thiago bellowed with his body language, 'ahhh shit man, I don't feel like doing this anymore, let's call it here so we (I) can go home'. That's not to take anything away from Hill, he hits really hard, that is a fact his last 3 opponents can attest to. The question lies in his ability to keep up with a strong veteran grappler. He hasn't fought since that August win and the last good grappler he beat was Paul Craig, oh wait, actually he lost that fight. He lost because he got caught in a submission then was elbowed into quittin' time. One may argue that Glover is as competent a grappler as Craig, if not more savvy because of his long tenure in the sport. Add on top of that his ability to keep up in a fire fight, as we saw in his insanely close loss to former champion Jiri Prochazka.
Considering every fight he's had since losing to Jon Jones in 2014, he hasn't lost to any fighter with an average takedown defense below 72%. Before that he was undefeated for 11 damn years. You might be asking yourself, how much of a difference can a 7% average make in a fight? The answer is it can make an astronomical difference and it can make no difference. It depends on many variables, including; individual fight strategy, how long the fight lasts and how much improvement each fighter has made since their last fight. Jamahal is the much younger prospect, at 31, 12 years younger than Glover. So he still has the ability to make big progress in training and his body has less miles on it, especially important when it comes to a 5 round war. He can definitely knock Glover out if he catches him right, but will he? And if not, what is his back-up strategy? Can he avoid the takedown for 25 minutes? If not, can he avoid Glover's mythical strength when Glover ends up in his guard? These questions plague my mind so lets strap in for the ride and find out, together, as friends.
Hardcore History: Glover Teixeira was born in Sobrália, Brazil. As legend has it he spent roughly 2 decades in Brazil before overcoming visa issues and finally moving to Danbury, Connecticut. Joining up with the team at The Pit was inevitable as they scouted him early in his career when he beat one of their top players. The year was 2002 and Head Coach John Hackleman saw definite potential in the Brazilian prospect, enter Chuck Liddell who would ultimately round out Glover's game with proper wrestling and striking. Ten years later with a record of 16-2, he could no longer be denied. Fresh off a win over martial arts legend Ricco Rodriguez, Glover would enter the UFC in 2012 and string together 5 wins. Looking spectacular with 4 of those wins coming by stoppage, paired with his pre-UFC popularity, he earned a title shot against Light Heavyweight GOAT Jon Jones.
Jamahal "Sweet Dreams" Hill might be undefeated going into this contest, if not for a ridiculous no-contest ruling stemming from a positive marijuana test and an easily forgiven misstep against jiu-jitsu guru Paul Craig. Otherwise he's 11-1 with 6 of those wins by stoppage. Looking back at his dynamic origin story, Jamahal grew up in the northeast, specifically Kent County, Michigan. He was a basketball prospect while also participating on the high school chess team. Graduating in 2009, Hill turned down a spot on the Davenport University football team and a year later found Black Lion Jiu Jitsu Gym. Joining the team was merely an attempt to stay in shape while he worked at a factory to keep up with bills. It wouldn't be till 7 years later that he got his first professional MMA fight and victory. Fast forward to modern day, Hill is a humble father of 6 and fighting for the biggest title in Martial Arts. What. A. Life.
Dave’s Pick: What a contrast in styles! Hill is the -140 Favorite with the comeback on Glover at +110. The Total is 1.5 rounds with the favorite being the over at -130. Guys, it is really hard to say with confidence who will be the winner here. You make make arguments for/against both fighters. What does seem to be an easier path to gambling victory though…The total. I like the over in this spot. Glover hasn’t gone under 1.5 rounds in his last 6 fights, and I don’t see that streak stopping here. Sure, I believe that Hill will come out blasting….but I believe he will also be calculated and thoughtful entering this fight “on the road”. Take time. No room for any mistakes. This fight goes OVER the 1.5 total.
2. Deiveson Figueiredo (21-2-1) vs. Brandon Moreno (20-6-2)
This is by all measurements a legacy fight, but after these guys fight for the 4th time on Saturday, there is a very strong possibility that we still won't know who is better. Yes, this is their 4th fight time throwing hands for the title. The first fight ended in a draw and the only definitive result came in their second fight when Moreno lit up Deiveson and submitted him by rear naked choke. Then Deiveson came back for the trilogy and stole 3 of 5 rounds to take home a unanimous decision win. The waters only got muddier, but to be fair these guys are absolute studs and we should be honored to watch them fight so many times. The only sting is the hold up in the division, Kai Kara-France did his best to clear the dam with a strong performance against Moreno, but ultimately fell to body kicks in the 3rd round. That being said, something has to give, regardless of who wins on Saturday I would imagine the UFC really wants to move on from this rivalry. Flyweight doesn't do gang busters in the ratings and a Deiveson loss at age 35 wouldn't bode well for his future contract negotiations.
My best guess would be that youth and talent deliver a win for Moreno, but we can't ignore the giant elephant in the room. His head coach James Krause just got banned from any participation in UFC related events, this coming after Canadian regulators suspended MMA betting amid allegations suggesting insider betting between Krause and one of his peers. All that drama is too much to dissect here, all we know is that he won't be present to corner Moreno on Saturday and we have no idea how that will impact the veteran flyweight's much anticipated performance. Sayif Saud, head coach and founder of Fortis MMA, will attempt to lead Moreno to victory. He only had 4 weeks to prepare him, soooo no pressure there. Meanwhile Deiveson is leading his own camp in Brazil and his pre-fight talking points include a possible move up to bantamweight to fight for that title. There are a ton of moving parts going into this match, all we can do is sit back and hope that each guy is at their best come fight day. Which by the way is never the case because all these guys fight with pre-existing injuries sustained in previous camps and fights.
Hardcore History: As informative as it would be to focus on the hard knocks Brandon Moreno may have dealt with growing up in Tijuana, Mexico, I would prefer to center this piece on his dynamic personality. A well publicized fan of toys such as Legos and Funko Pop, Brandon is absolutely not the guy you would expect to be fighting in a cage for a living. He's a big family man with a seriously endearing baby face and harbors virtually no hate in his heart. All you have to do to fall in love with Brandon is listen to his post-fight interview in the cage after defeating Kai where he addresses another fight with Deiveson. He explains how he wants to be a good role model for his daughter and talking unnecessary crap about his opponent or acting obnoxious in front of the camera to build hype is not how he wants to be perceived by his family. So you're telling me this guy is a youthful free spirit, completely self aware, big picture oriented and incredibly kind? All of that and he beats people up for a living? How can you not be a die hard fan of this guy and the work he's doing. That's a rhetorical question. Simply put, if you don't love everything this guy does, there is something seriously wrong with you.
Looking at his tough as nails, extremely skilled opponent, hailing out of Soure, Para, Brazil. Deiveson is a spartan. Chiseled out of granite and unreasonably fast for the amount of muscle he carries, this guy is scary as all hell. Look at what he did to WEC/UFC legend Joseph Benavidez in their 2 fights. Have you ever taken the time to translate his Portuguese nickname "Deus de Guerra"? I'll do it for you, its God of War. Yeah he's the kind of fighter other fighters have nightmares about getting the call to fight. Not even the fight itself wakes them up in a cold sweat, just the call. Yet baby face Brandon Moreno answered that call, for the 4th time. He'll eternally have my respect. Its pretty wild to think that Deiveson has only 2 losses in 24 fights and just 1 of them came by stoppage, delivered by his legacy rival. I have goosebumps thinking about this war on Saturday. The culmination of over 2 years, 4 fight camps, and enough blood, sweat and tears to match a horror flick quota. It all comes to a head in less than 48 hours. It all ends Saturday night.
Maybe... maybe not.
3. Paul Craig (16-5-1) vs. Johnny Walker (19-7)
I present to you the ultimate light heavyweight freak show, but in the best way possible. The man they call the "Bearjew" is the only guy to have defeated Jamahal Hill. He did so quickly and viciously. Throwing up a triangle and spitting anything resembling a decent guard with his fierce elbows. The ref had no choice but to stop the fight just before the 2 minute mark of the very first round. That beautifully capped off a stretch where Paul snagged 4 wins and a split draw. He even won his next fight vs. Ukrainian Nikita Krylov, also with a 1st round submission. He was on fire, then he stumbled into a lazy awkward showing against former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. Unable to land meaningful offense on the feet or drag Volkan to the mat long enough to work his brilliant submission game, he lost a lackluster unanimous decision. This is his chance to bounce back, with a solid win here and a win for Jamahal, things could get very interesting for the Scottish grappler.
Then there's the other side of the coin, enter Johnny Walker. He was on a 9 fight win streak in just under 2 years of work. All but one of those fights ended by stoppage. He was very much in his element with all the hype propelling him forward. He had the look, the power and the it factor to become something great. Then he did the worm in the cage to celebrate yet another TKO win. This time by flying knee, it was beautiful. The worm on the other hand was not so beautiful, it would be a cease and desist to his momentum. He dislocated his shoulder during his antics and would go on to get surgery, from doing the fucking worm. Like are you fucking kidding me?! He would go on to lose 4 out of his next 5 and things were looking very grim. What a wild turn of events and ensuing downward spiral. Now he's coming off a win and with a relatively new team, training with S.B.G. in Ireland. Led by John Kavanagh, notorious head coach of one Conor McGregor. Can he build on a new swing of momentum, or was the spark forever lost in a futile effort to "dance" after an important victory? We shall see.
Hardcore History: The anaconda that is Paul Craig, man has he been through it. His career can fairly easily be divided into 3 chapters; the rise, fall, and resurrection. He started his pro MMA career at 25 and rattled off his own 9 fight win streak. The last of which was his UFC debut. It was all shine for the young grappler fighting out of Coatbridge, Scotland. Then he was scheduled to fight Tyson Pedro, the year was 2017 and he would be quickly discarded by TKO due to elbows in the very first round. It was also his very first loss, here came the fall. He would lose 4 of his next 6, two years since his rise to relevancy and quicker than it came he was just another face in the crowd of hopeful MMA athletes that fell from grace. Bouncing back with a 1st round submission win in his next fight, he would begin the resurrection. As previously stated, he was on fire and would win his next 4 of 5. Fast forward to modern day and this current chapter doesn't have to end so abruptly. With an impressive win here, he could be right back in the drivers seat. After all, light heavyweight is a total crap shoot right now. With the rightful champ out for the year with "the world's worst shoulder injury", and the last fight for the vacant title ending so unanimously disappointing. This is Paul's chance to coarse correct and start 2023 with a bang.
Johnny Walker will be no easy target to get that done. Out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, standing at in impressive 6'6" with an 82" reach. He was made for this, I mean it was either this or volleyball, I think he chose wisely. He is now writing his own resurrection chapter, coming off a 1st round submission over Moldovian grappler Ion Cutelaba. According to Tapology his fighting style is Kung Fu, symbolic of his silly nature but also indicative of his seemingly unlimited potential to fuck you up on the feet. He's a wild man and Paul will have to be very careful when addressing a closing of the distance vs. such a dynamic striker.