Glover
Teixeira believes Yousri
Belgaroui’s growing confidence on the ground could help him
overcome Caio
Borralho as the Dutch middleweight prepares for his fourth
Ultimate Fighting Championship appearance.
Belgaroui will enter the matchup after winning his first three
UFC fights by technical knockout. He is scheduled to face Borralho
at UFC
334 on Nov. 14, giving him an opportunity to build on that
start against an established contender.
Glover Teixeira credits Yousri Belgaroui’s extra grappling work
ahead of Caio Borralho at UFC 334
Teixeira, Belgaroui’s head coach, said his fighter’s willingness
to spend extra time wrestling and practicing jiu-jitsu has been
central to his development.
“Yousri trains a lot and picks things up very quickly. And he
likes training on the ground. Sometimes we finish training,
everyone is tired, and he grabs someone doing wrestling or
jiu-jitsu and rolls for another 20 minutes,” Teixeira said.
The matchup presents a test of whether Belgaroui can combine his
striking skills with the grappling improvements his coach has
described. Teixeira, who is releasing a book
based on his life story in December titled „Breaking the
rules,“ pointed to his distance control and increasing comfort
on the ground as reasons for confidence.
“One step at a time. Caio is without a doubt one of the biggest
challenges in the division, but Yousri has an impressive sense of
distance and is getting more and more confident in his grappling.
There’s no doubt he’s becoming a complete MMA fighter and he’ll be
very well prepared for this fight,” Teixeira said.
Borralho brings considerably more UFC experience into the
contest. He defeated Reinier
de Ridder by unanimous decision in March.
For Belgaroui, the bout offers a chance to strengthen his
position in the middleweight division. Teixeira’s assessment
centers on the work behind his finishes, particularly his
commitment to developing the ground skills needed against more
experienced opposition.