Matches to make for Glover Teixeira, other UFC 275 losers

UFC 275 will see Glover Teixeira and others look to rebound after their losses.

Glover Teixeira had a rough night at UFC 275. He was on his way to retaining his UFC light heavyweight title but did not account for Jiri Prochazka getting a last-second rare-naked choke for the win. Teixeira is far from done as a top-level guy, and he made sure to state that.

So who should he fight next? Heck, who should everyone else fight next? That’s a challenging question, especially considering the range of talents to pick from. When it comes to Teixeria, we have to keep in mind his age, and what that means. He’s 42, and doesn’t have a lot of fights left but we know for sure we haven’t seen the last of him. So finding someone we can get hyped for is crucial.

Someone we have seen the last of is Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The WMMA legend is calling it a career and walking away at the age of 35 to focus on becoming a mother and a businesswoman, something that would be a bit difficult if she was training every day for months on end.

So let’s get to the booking.

Matches to make for Glover Teixeira and the others who lost at UFC 275

Ramazan Emeev vs. Andre Fialho

Both Ramazan Emeev and Andre Fialho lost at UFC 275 by either TKO or KO. They’re both guys who need a win, with Fialho needing a bounce-back win to prove he’s up to taking on more top-level competition, and Emeev to prove he’s not done yet as a fighter. Fialho is 2-2 in his last four, not terrible. Emeev is 0-2 in his last two however and 2-3 in his last five. Emeev needs a win and who better to try to beat than Fialho.

Taila Santos vs. Katlyn Chookagian

Talia Santos had a monster fight with champion Valentina Shevchenko. While some thought Santos won, the judges disagreed and that’s that. I’m not a fan of rematches, so we’re not going back down that road. Santos lost, so she needs to earn her next shot. Enter Katlyn Chookagian; a top contender who wants another shot at Shevchenko. If Santos defeats Chookagian, then give her another shot. If not, then that’s that.

Glover Teixeira vs. Paul Craig

Let’s re-state the obvious, not a fan of automatic rematches. Jan Blachowicz didn’t get one, so why should Teixeira? The man should get a fight next that will get fans excited, so how about the one ranked guy in the light heavyweight division who’s nearly as good as Teixeira on the ground; Paul Craig? Craig has never had a fight go to the judges for any reason, win or lose, and has 13 subs out of 16 fights. Let’s see what Teixeira can do against a guy as good as he is, in theory. If he beats Craig, maybe he gets a second shot at the title.