Glover Teixeira Says Belgaroui's Ground Game Is Catching Up to His Hands

Yousri Belgaroui has knocked out all three of his UFC opponents, but his head coach thinks the real story heading into UFC 334 is what's happening on the mat. Glover Teixeira says the unranked Dutch middleweight has quietly turned his grappling into a weapon ahead of a Nov. 14 clash with #5-ranked Caio Borralho — a fight that doubles as the biggest step up of Belgaroui's career.

The numbers frame the gap. Belgaroui is 11-3 overall with nine knockouts and zero submissions on his record, a striker's resume through and through. Borralho, meanwhile, sits at 18-2 with a more balanced finishing portfolio and a unanimous-decision win over former two-division ONE champion Reinier de Ridder back in March. On paper, this is a prospect being thrown at a genuine contender.

The Case for the Underdog

Teixeira's pitch is that Belgaroui is no longer a one-dimensional problem. The former light heavyweight champion — himself a 33-9 fighter with 10 career submissions before retiring after his loss to Jamahal Hill — says his man soaks up technique fast and genuinely enjoys the grind. According to Teixeira, Belgaroui will often keep rolling for an extra 20 minutes after everyone else is spent, chasing wrestling and jiu-jitsu reps.

That matters against Borralho, whose path to victory often runs through grappling exchanges and positional control. Teixeira argues that Belgaroui's standout sense of distance, combined with his improving comfort on the ground, is turning him into a more complete fighter. He framed it as a one-step-at-a-time project and acknowledged Borralho is one of the division's toughest outs.

What's Actually at Stake

The maths is simple for Belgaroui. He's perfect in the UFC, finishing everyone, most recently stopping Djorden Santos in the first round. But he's still unranked, and a win over a top-five name would vault him into the contender conversation overnight. Lose, and he's just another talented striker who got exposed a tier too early.

Borralho has far more Octagon mileage and a ranking to protect, which makes him the clear favorite. If Belgaroui's ground work is as improved as Teixeira claims, we'll find out fast — because Borralho is exactly the kind of opponent who'll test it.