Corey Anderson backs Glover Teixeira to take UFC title from Jan Blachowicz
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Glover Teixeria challenges Jan Blachowicz for the title
Corey Anderson is backing fellow light-heavyweight Glover Teixeira to beat Jan Blachowicz at UFC 267.
Poland's Blachowicz and Brazilian Teixeira will face in the main event on Saturday in Abu Dhabi with the 205-pound title up for grabs.
American Anderson, who now competes in Bellator, has shared the octagon with both fighters and believes the Brazilian can get the job done.
"I think Glover can weather the storm and beat him," he told BBC Sport.
"We've seen Glover get caught but he has come back. We saw it against Thiago Santos. He got caught and came back to finish him.
"He got caught by Anthony Smith and came back to finish him. He gets hit early and he gets rocked but he's good at weathering that storm and he finds a way."
Teixeira, 42, is on a five-fight winning streak and will challenge again for the light-heavyweight title more than seven years after his first shot.
Anderson, who beat Teixeira (32-7) in 2018 in what was his last fight in the UFC before joining Bellator, explains what makes the veteran durable.
"He takes you down; he hits you with a big punch like he did against Ryan Bader," Anderson said.
"Bader had him hurt and rocked but Glover turned the corner and knocked Ryan out. He's a guy you can never count out. I feel like he's going to have that over Jan."
While Anderson is backing Teixeira, 38-year-old Blachowicz has had plenty to say about his former opponent and now top Bellator contender.
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Anderson is 1-1 with Blachowicz after he beat the current light-heavyweight champion in 2015 before Blachowicz knocked out Anderson in 2020.
Blachowicz (28-8) hit out at Anderson on Twitter when his rival said he was the best light-heavyweight fighter in the world after his impressive win over Bader booked him a spot in Bellator's grand prix final.
"Hold up... so a guy who bolted from the UFC after I've slept him and almost made him retire, got a couple of wins in the second league and claims he is the best?" Blachowicz said.
"Maybe I've punched him too hard... No class in win or defeat Corey. There's levels to this."
Anderson brushed off Blachowicz's insults, insisting the Pole had a tendency to "quit" in fights.
"I remember the first time I fought Jan - he quit. I could see it in his eyes. He was done," Anderson said.
"He let me do whatever. As for when I fought Glover, he never quit.
"All the way to the bell - he was trying to get the finish. And I think that's what's going to get him to the belt, I believe."
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