When Thiago Silva was forced to withdraw from the UFC 148 fight card with an injury, Glover Teixeira was at the top of the UFC's wish list as a replacement opponent for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
There was just one problem: Shogun didn't want any part of Teixeira.
"He said he'd actually rather be cut [from the UFC] than have to fight [Teixeira]," UFC President Dana White said during an interview with Ariel Helwani on Fuel TV.
While it's hard to imagine a fighter with Rua's track record ducking any opponent, he apparently isn't the only one.
"Nobody wants to fight this guy," White said of Teixeira, who made his UFC debut last month at UFC 146 with a dominating performance against Kyle Kingsbury.
Teixeira is in a very interesting spot, one that's disadvantageous to him in UFC matchmaking. On the one hand, he's a phenomenally talented fighter with an 18-2 record as a pro and a 16-fight winning streak (see video below for his bout with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez). On the other, his visa problems have kept him from fighting in the U.S. for the last four years, which has limited his ability to develop name recognition. Because Teixeira is a relative unknown among fans, he's the worst kind of opponent: one with the ability to dish out a beating but without enough recognition to make a loss to him respectable. Rua is one of any number of UFC light heavyweights who would have far more to lose with a loss to Teixeira than they would have to gain with a win.
Of course, that doesn't help Teixeira, who deserves the opportunity to prove himself in the UFC, possibly even building himself up to a shot at Jon Jones and the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. As a result, Teixeira is a perplexing problem for White UFC matchmaker Joe Silva.
The most likely answer will probably be a UFC veteran with a reputation as a good "company man." The right opponent for Teixeira will be at a point in his career where he's out of the title picture, and has little damage to do to his reputation should he lose (which, given Teixeira's streak, is quite likely).
Rich Franklin is the first name that belongs in this category, but "Ace" is already earning more "company man" credentials by stepping in to fight Wanderlei Silva later this month at UFC 147. Instead, Stephan Bonnar is probably the most likely opponent for Teixeira.
"The American Psycho" is one of the best known fighters in the light heavyweight division, and he's already secure in the knowledge that he will always have a future with the UFC in some capacity due to his crucial role in UFC history. His reputation won't suffer with a loss to Teixeira, while a win would likely add significantly to his legacy in the Octagon. By the same token, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has played the gatekeeper role in recent years for fighters like Phil Davis and Ryan Bader, and "Little Nog" could probably be enticed to take the fight.
Naturally, Joe Silva knows better than anyone else who would make the best opponent for Teixeira, but based on White's comments, it's proving tricky. Look for a UFC veteran on the tail end of his career to provide the solution.
