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Glover Teixeira: 'If UFC offers me Jon Jones I will say yes -- and get that title'

Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira? It may be a little early for that match-up, but the Brazilian is ready to prove he's championship material by defeating Fabio Maldonado at UFC 153 this weekend in Rio.

"There are a lot of tough guys, but I think I bring it to Jon Jones. I'm not quite qualified to say something like that yet. I have one fight in the UFC and have more to prove. If they offered me the fight I would say yes, bring it to him and get that title."

Too soon?

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight sophomore Glover Teixeira (via MMA Interviews) is already being pegged as the next big thing at 205 pounds. And why not? Division champion Jon Jones has pretty much cleaned out most of the other contenders.

But the Brazilian wunderkind has some work to do if he wants a crack at the crown, starting with fellow countryman Fabio Maldonado at the UFC 153 pay-per-view (PPV) event this Saturday night (Oct. 13, 2012) at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Gotta start somewhere.

Teixeira (18-2) finally made his Octagon debut at UFC 146 : "Dos Santos vs. Mir" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena earlier this year in Las Vegas, Nevada, showing stateside fans what all the hype was about by choking out the venerable Kyle Kingsbury en route to a first round submission stoppage.

Like a boss.

The win over "Kingsbu" marked 16 straight for the Brazilian, who has 16 finishes (including 11 knockouts) over his illustrious career. A victory over Maldonado would no doubt springboard him to bigger and better opportunities within the division.

But would it be good enough to give him a championship fight against "Bones?"

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