UFC Fight Night on ESPN drops Saturday from the Apex Center in Las Vegas with 11 scheduled fights. From 115-pound female mixed martial artists to 265-pound heavyweight behemoths, this card offers some fascinating matchups featuring athletes from around the globe.

One trend to note: Favorites have realized a 20-1-2 tally over the last two UFC cards.

These two incredibly likable Brazilians outside the cage are destroyers inside it. What’s most interesting about this bout is that stylistically, each man seems made for the other.

The third-ranked Teixeira is 41, has been a professional mixed martial artist for 18 years and is fully decorated in all combat specialties. Teixeira has faced an array of elite talent in his quest for a title shot, which he received in 2014. That result was a loss to Jon Jones, which should shame no fighter. Since then Teixeira has had to battle up a division steeped with talent. He has earned this elimination bout and enters on a four-fight winning streak.

Teixeira’s diverse fighting arsenal makes him dangerous everywhere. In this bout he’ll hold experience and ground advantages. Each will serve him well, for Teixeira understands that his clearest route to winning is to get this fight to the floor, where he may mute his opponent’s power and protect his most glaring weakness, his inability to absorb a flush power strike.

Santos, 36, is sculpted like a marble statue, and his kicks and strikes are delivered with explosive damaging effect. Santos specializes in Capoeira, Muay Thai and, to a degree, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but his forte is to engage opponents on the feet, then batter them into unconsciousness with bludgeoning strikes.

Santos is the No. 1-ranked light-heavyweight based on a solid body of work. He destroyed four top-ranked opponents on his way to a title fight against Jones in July 2019. But in that fight, Santos tore his left LCL, PCL, MCL and meniscus, cracked his tibia and partly tore his right ACL. Those injuries kept Santos away from fighting to rehab his knees and try to prepare for this bout, while his opponent has earned two victories since.

If Santos is fully rehabbed and ready to fire, his striking speed and power will annihilate Teixeira over time if this fight remains on the feet, which is why this may be a poor spot for Teixeira.

Teixeira must be patient and survive the early fury by clasping onto Santos, eliminating his space. Taxing Santos physically and forcing him to expend precious energy early must be part of Teixeira’s plan. As the fight progresses and Santos begins to tire, Teixeira must drag him to the mat, where Teixeira’s savvy, grit and guile may expose Santos’ lack of ground acumen.

If Teixeira fights the perfect fight, he may be able to take Santos deep and submit him late. But I believe the more likely circumstance is that Santos starches Teixeira early and ends his night and this event.

Lou Finocchiaro writes for VSiN.com, The Sports Betting Network.