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Sunday, Aug 09, 2015

UFC FN 73: Glover Teixeira Talks Victory– “I’m Back on Track Baby”

Glover Teixeira (photo via UFC)

By Kelsey Mowatt

Although the narrative tied to Glover Teixeira has always been dominated by terms like “heavy handed” and “dangerous striker”, the light-heavyweight demonstrated again at UFC Fight Night 73 that he’s much more.

Teixeira has showcased his submission skills in the past, but coverage and promos regarding the Brazilian have typically focused on his striking pedigree. On Saturday, however, Teixeira was quickly put on the defensive by Ovince Saint Preux’s stand-up skills.

The latter hurt him with a body kick and swarmed in with punches not long into the fight. For several moments, it looked like OSP was going to end Teixeira’s run as a top contender. But, then the latter delivered a vivid reminder that this is MMA, and not kickboxing.

Teixeira started taking Saint Preux to the mat, and while OSP was able to work his way out several times, the tide of the fight had clearly turned. Finally, in round three, Teixeira put the powerful fighter to sleep with a third round, rear-naked-choke.

Following the pivotal victory, here is some of what Teixeira had to say about the fight, in his backstage interview.

“This guy’s no joke. I see Ryan Bader take him down; Ryan Bader’s a top wrestler. I see Pat Cummins take him down and he stand up right back, and I was able to dominate this guy on the ground like that…”

Teixeira was coming off consecutive, decision losses to former champ Jon Jones and most recently, Phil Davis. Following his last defeat, Teixeira vowed he’d return to the Octagon in much better shape.

“I felt really good in this fight; my conditioning was top,” Teixeira added. “We’re back on track baby. I have no plans for the fight. My plan is always to stand-up, but I see as I go. I see the takedown and I see the takedown was less risky for me, because he was hurting me with the body shots, and a couple of left hands…takedown was there, takedown was key so I went for the takedown.

With Saturday’s win, Teixeira improved his overall record to 23-4, and likely ensured he remains a fixture in the division’s top five rankings. Currently the 35 year-old is ranked #4.

posted by FCF Staff @ 10:53 am
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