What’s next for Glover Teixeira and Thiago Santos after UFC Vegas 13?

By Cole Shelton - November 9, 2020

In the main event of UFC Vegas 13, Glover Teixeira was looking to turn back the clock once more when he took on the returning, Thiago Santos.

Glover Teixeira

When the fight was booked, many had thought the winner would be getting a title shot. However, that appeared to not be the case after the UFC announced Israel Adesanya would be moving in weight to challenge Jan Blachowicz. Despite that, Glover Teixeira had a dominant performance and submitted Thiago Santos in the third round.

Now, following the event, here is what I think should be next for Glover Teixeira and Thiago Santos.

Glover Teixeira

You have to feel bad for Glover Teixeira. The 41-year-old is on a five-fight winning streak and finished Santos and Anthony Smith in his last two fights, who went the distance with Jon Jones for the belt last year.

The Brazilian no doubt deserves a title shot and should be fighting Blachowicz for the belt in March. Yet, with Adesanya getting the shot, Teixeira is in a weird spot. He could wait it out, but if “The Last Stylebender” wins, the UFC will no doubt make the Jon Jones fight, potentially leaving Teixeira out for a year if not longer.

So, for Glover Teixeira, if he is looking to fight again before a title shot, the logical option is to face the winner of Dominick Reyes vs. Jiri Prochazka sometime in mid-2021.

Thiago Santos

Thiago Santos nearly was the UFC’s light heavyweight champion last year and now he is on a two-fight losing streak.

Despite being on a losing streak, given the state of the division, could very well be only two wins away from getting another crack at the belt. So, a logical opponent for Santos is to take on Aleksandar Rakic sometime in the early parts of 2021 and have it headline a Fight Night event.

Rakic is the only person in the top-five who is not booked and the winner could enter a No. 1 contender bout. The loser, meanwhile, would likely have to fight someone below them in the 10-15 range.

What do you think should be next for Glover Teixeira and Thiago Santos after UFC Vegas 13?


Topics:

Glover Teixeira Thiago Santos UFC