UFC Heavyweights Santos and Teixeira fight for a shot at belt

Las Vegas – UFC® continues its run of events in Las Vegas with a thrilling light heavyweight bout with title implications, as No. 1 ranked contender Thiago Santos squares off with No. 3 Glover Teixeira. Also, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski looks to halt the momentum of rising Tanner Boser.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+®: SANTOS vs. TEIXEIRA will take place Saturday, November 7 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The main card will be available on ESPN2 and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes, and simulcast on ESPN+ in English and Spanish, starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The prelims will kick off exclusively on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.

Santos (21-7, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) aims to continue building his reputation as the most aggressive striker in the light heavyweight division and cement himself as the next challenger for the belt. After moving up to 205 pounds in 2018, Santos quickly rose through the rankings with devastating knockout wins over Eryk Anders, Jimi Manuwa and newly crowned champion Jan Blachowicz. He now looks to snap the win streak of Teixeira with another signature performance.

Tied for the most finishes in UFC light heavyweight history, Teixeira (31-7, fighting out of Danbury, Conn.) intends to continue his impressive run and secure his second shot at UFC gold. A member of the UFC roster since 2012, Teixeira established himself as one of the best in the world with wins over former champions Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans, as well as former title challenger Anthony Smith. He now seeks to take sole ownership of the light heavyweight stoppage record by finishing Santos.

Arlovski (29-19 2NC, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) hopes to continue his winning ways in 2020 with a vintage KO win. A 21-year MMA veteran who has fought the top names in MMA, Arlovski holds impressive victories over former UFC champions Fabricio Werdum, Frank Mir and Tim Sylvia. Arlovski now aims to stop another budding contender and prove his among the top heavyweights on the planet.

Boser (19-6-1, fighting out of Edmonton, Alta., Canada) is on the cusp of cracking the competitive heavyweight rankings. At talented karate striker, he turned heads this summer with a pair of sensational KO victories against Raphael Pessoa and Philipe Lins over the span of one month. Boser now looks to take out his first former UFC champion to continue his ascent up the ladder.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• No. 15 ranked middleweight contender Ian Heinisch (14-3, fighting out of Englewood, Colo.) faces Brendan Allen (15-3, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) in a meeting of Dana White’s Contender Series veterans
  
• No. 4 ranked women’s strawweight contender Claudia Gadelha (18-4, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) goes for her third consecutive win when she meets surging No. 8 Yan Xiaonan (12-1 1 NC, fighting out of Beijing, China)
  
• Trevin Giles (12-2, fighting out of Houston, Texas) faces Bevon Lewis (7-2, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) in what promises to be an entertaining middleweight bout
  
• Raoni Barcelos (15-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) locks horns with fellow bantamweight prospect Khalid Taha (13-2 1NC, fighting out of Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)
  
• Max Griffin (15-8, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) welcomes UFC newcomer Ramiz Brahimaj (8-2, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) at welterweight
  
• Darren Elkins (25-9, fighting out of Portage, Ind.) aims to return to the win column when he takes on tough Eduardo Garagorri (13-1, fighting out of Rivera, Uruguay)
  
• Undefeated heavyweight prospect Alexandr Romanov (12-0, fighting out of Comrat City, Republic of Moldova) aims to continue his winning ways against Marcos Rogerio De Lima (17-7-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
  
• Felipe Colares (9-2, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) meets Gustavo Lopez (11-5, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) in a battle of bantamweight hopefuls