Glover Teixeira vs. Phil Davis Confirmed as UFC 179 Co-Main Event

Glover Teixeira vs. Phil Davis is set for UFC 179. UFC officials on Saturday confirmed the bout, announcing that it would serve as the co-main event for the Oct. 25 event in Rio de Janeiro.

Teixeira earlier this week said that his manager told him Davis would be his next fight, but the UFC had not announced the bout at that point.

“My manager called me yesterday confirming the fight to Maracanazinho,” Teixeira told Brazilian outlet PVT on Friday. “It’s going to be awesome to fight in Brazil again, in Rio de Janeiro. I’m really happy, training a lot.

“Fighting Phil Davis is going to be really good. He’s popular in Brazil because he already fought and defeated some Brazilians. Now it’s time to prove myself and start to climb the ladder again. I will train hard and fight hard. I want to fight for the title again next year.”

The bout will be Teixeira’s (22-3) first since his failed attempt to win the belt from Jon Jones ended a 20-fight winning streak. Teixeira and Jones went the full five rounds, but the champion won a unanimous decision.

Teixeira will look to work his way back into the title picture by facing the highly touted Davis, who is looking to make a rebound of his own.

Davis (12-2, 1 NC) was on the cusp of a title shot after stringing together victories over Wagner Prado, Vinny Magalhaes, and former champ Lyoto Machida. His title aspirations were snuffed out by a red-hot Anthony Johnson on the same UFC 172 card.

UFC 179 features featherweight champion Jose Aldo putting his belt on the line in a rematch with Chad Mendes at the Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio.