Getty Glover Teixeira of Brazil will face Anthony Smith in UFC's Fight Night.
Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena will host the second major UFC event in a week when Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira headlines a compelling array of fights on Wednesday night.
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The prelims (6 p.m. ET start time) and the main card (9 p.m. ET) won’t be televised, but anyone in the United States can watch every fight via ESPN+:
Once signed up, you can then watch Smith vs Teixeira and all the fights on your computer via ESPN.com, or you can watch on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other compatible streaming device via the ESPN app.
For all of those options, you’ll need to sign in with your ESPN+ account to watch.
Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira Preview:
The No. 3-ranked Smith (31-14-0 MMA, 8-4 UFC) will face off against No. 8 ranked Teixeira (30-7-0 MMA, 13-5 UFC) in a matchup even the fighters seem genuinely excited about.
“I like the match-up,” Smith said recently about Wednesday’s bout. “Glover’s pretty black and white. He’s not going to come out and throw anything crazy. I don’t give a sh*t what anybody says about him, he’s still a dangerous veteran. You know, power is the last thing to go, and he’s still got plenty of that. He’s a wily veteran. Fighting Glover is simple, but it’s not easy. You know what you have to do, but it doesn’t make it easier.”
This fight could be without a great deal of trash talk, as the two fighters seem to hold each other in extremely high regard. Any drama should come from the action itself in what has all the makings of an excellent fight between two professionals who respect each other.
“Honestly, he’s a really, really good guy. I know that’s not great for promotional stuff, but I like him a lot. Last time I saw Glover, we had a beer together. I’m sure you’ve seen the story of him helping me in Brazil, when I blew my knee. Any time I see him, it’s a handshake and an embrace. He’s one of the few good guys left in the sport,” Smith said about Glover.
For his part, the 40-year old Teixeira thinks this bout could be one for the ages. “I can see it ending in the later rounds, I think it going be a brawl,” Teixeira said recently. “I think I’m just going to have to grind him and in the later rounds I’m gonna take him out of there.”
Teixeira went 3-0 last year, with two of his three wins by submission, which is nothing new for the Brazilian.
But in an ironic twist, it’s Smith who is looking for a submission in this one. “I do think with my pressure and just being pinpoint accurate, I think I need a late finish,” Smith told MMA Junkie. “I think Glover’s going to be forced to take some bad shots to stay safe and I think it will be a submission. That one would mean a lot to me. Getting a submission win over someone as heralded as Glover Teixeira on the ground?”
That would be something, indeed.