Glover prepares to fight in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Glover Teixeira believes that Magomed Ankalaev has a weakness that could put him at a disadvantage in a potential fight against Paulo Borrachinha . Scheduled to face Bogdan Guskov in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi , scheduled for this Saturday (25), the Russian is already aiming for a fight against the Brazilian afterwards, in a fight that could lead him to the light heavyweight title fight (up to 93 kg). However, according to the coach of Alex Poatan , responsible for the last defeat of the Dagestani fighter, this plan may not go as expected.
During an appearance on the 'Overdogs Brasil' podcast, Glover highlighted that, despite Ankalaev's high fighting IQ, the fighter has a specific vulnerability: leg strength.
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“Ankalaev has a lot of fight IQ. The only thing (weak point) that people are talking about is his leg, right? He has a sensitive leg. If I were to fight Ankalaev, I wouldn't even take him down, I would just train leg kicks,” said Glover Teixeira.
According to the former champion, this limitation could be strategically exploited, especially by an athlete like Borrachinha, known for the power of his shots. Teixeira believes the Brazilian has enough tools to complicate the match and gain an advantage in a potential duel.
"The other day I was watching an interview where he was talking about Borrachinha, and I think Borrachinha makes things difficult for him. Borrachinha kicks incredibly hard," concluded the former champion.
Magomed Ankalaev suffered from low kicks by Poatan.
Poatan taunts Ankalaev in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
In that regard, for those who doubt Glover Teixeira 's analysis , the coach closely followed the second fight between Alex Poatan and Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320. On that occasion, the Brazilian finished the fight in just 80 seconds.
Although the fight ended with a flurry of elbows, ranging from the face to the ribs in ground and pound, Poatan had already inflicted significant damage before the fight went to the ground. While still standing, the Brazilian punished the Dagestani fighter with low kicks, forcing Ankalaev to switch his stance from southpaw to right.
Rivalry between Ankalaev and Borrachinha
The rivalry between Magomed Ankalev and Paulo Borrachinha arose after the Brazilian refused the opportunity to replace the injured Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi due to the short preparation time.
In response, Ankalaev mocked his rival's decision, but stated that he agreed that a potential confrontation would make more sense with an adequate training period. The Russian, in this sense, pointed to the end of October or the beginning of November as the ideal window for the duel, provided he overcomes Bogdan Guskov without major difficulties this Saturday.
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