Rashad Evans temporarily went to sleep Saturday night in Tampa, Florida, and Glover Teixeira was reading the bedtime story. The powerful Brazilian leveled Evans with a hard left hook in the first round and finished his dazed opponent with a right hand.
Evans slumped to the mat face-first, and referee Herb Dean stopped the onslaught. Fox Sports UFC reacted to Teixeira’s win:
Teixeira has had some impressive wins in his career, but this one was perhaps the most impressive. The 36-year-old Evans is past his prime, but Teixeira’s ability to knock 205-pounders out cold is noteworthy. The victory was the third in a row for Teixeira.
When the fight was over, he called out Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, who was in attendance.
“You don’t want to wait around for [Daniel] Cormier and [Jon] Jones. You want to do business; let’s do business,” Teixeira said, per the Fox broadcast.
A bout between Teixeira and Johnson is a knockout fan’s dream. They might be the two hardest punchers in the division, and it seems impossible for that fight to go the distance. The winner would also seemingly be assured of a title shot.
Consider this an open plea to the UFC matchmakers: Make that fight happen.
Thug Rose Outduels Torres
In a hotly contested co-main event, Rose “Thug” Namajunas used a late takedown in the third round to eke out a unanimous-decision win over Tecia Torres in a rematch of a July 2013 bout, when the two were in Invicta.
A left-right combination by Torres rocked Namajunas in the second round, but she showed toughness and poise. The 23-year-old had a takedown in the first round to go with the one in the third, which helped offset Torres’ advantage in significant strikes (61-46), per UFC.com.
Torres also landed 93 total strikes, compared to just 48 for Namajunas.
With Saturday’s win, Namajunas is in position to be the next woman to get a shot at the strawweight title. She could face the winner of the Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Claudia Gadelha scrap July 8. Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com thinks that’s in order:
Namajunas‘ popularity seems to be booming after this win and her last over Paige VanZant. A bout between her and Jedrzejczyk would be one of the biggest in the division.
UFC on FOX 19
- Teixeira defeats Evans by KO (punches, Round 1 1:48).
- Namajunas defeats Torres by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Khabib Nurmagomedov defeats Darrell Horcher by TKO (punches, Round 2, 3:38).
- Cub Swanson defeats Hacran Dias by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Fox Prelims
- Michael Chiesa defeats Beneil Dariush by submission (face crank, Round 2, 1:20).
- Raquel Pennington defeats Bethe Correia by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
- Santiago Ponzinibbio defeats Court McGee by TKO (punches, Round 1, 4:15).
- Michael Graves defeats Randy Brown by submission (rear-naked choke, Round 2, 2:31).
Fight Pass Prelims
- Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos defeats Omari Akhmedov by TKO (punches/knees, Round 3, 3:03).
- Cezar Ferreira defeats Oluwale Bamgbose by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27).
- John Dodson defeats Manny Gamburyan by TKO (punches, Round 1, 0:47).
The Finishes
Dos Santos Outfights Akhmedov
Dos Santos and Akhmedov had a fierce battle to open the show. The two men looked to split the first two rounds before Dos Santos finished the bout in the midst of a fierce exchange in the third frame.
Akhmedov was first hurt by knees to the midsection, but a big right hand wobbled him. And Dos Santos wasted no time going for the finish. He launched a strike-filled assault on Akhmedov before referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to stop the fight. The Brazilian lost a close split decision against Nicolas Dalby in his UFC debut in May.
This victory was what he hoped to accomplish in the UFC. Ahmedov was once a highly touted prospect, but he has now lost two straight.
The Magician Makes Gamburyan Disappear
John “The Magician” Dodson made a statement in his return to the bantamweight division. Dodson won season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter, but he had been competing as a flyweight since the UFC created the division in 2012.
On Saturday, Dodson destroyed Manny Gamburyan with his impressive blend of speed and power. Gamburyan is known for his toughness, but he was no match for Dodson. The Magician looks like a man on a mission at 135 pounds.
In his career, Dodson owns a victory over former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw. With one or two more wins, he should be in position to challenge for a shot at the the 135-pound crown.
Graves Buries Brown
Randy Brown had an excellent first round against Michael Graves, but he couldn’t put his opponent away. The second round was a different story. Graves got the upper hand on the ground and used a rear-naked choke to make Brown submit.
Both fighters came in undefeated, but Graves is the only one who’ll carry that distinction into his next fight. Brown is going to be kicking himself for not taking advantage of his opportunities to finish in the first round.
Ponzinibbio Punishes McGee
As usual, Court McGee came out aggressive, but Santiago Ponzinibbio proved to be the better fighter. He took a couple of shots from McGee early, but once he opened up with hard right-leg kicks and a fierce straight right hand, McGee was in trouble.
Ponzinibbio was stalking McGee by the midway point of the first round, and one of the aforementioned right hands put McGee on the canvas. The Argentinian pounced and pounded out McGee until Dean called a halt to the beating.
McGee is a bit of gatekeeper. He’s tough, but legitimate contenders should handle him. That’s what Ponzinibbio did. He has now won two fights in a row.
Chiesa Squeezes Dariush
Michael Chiesa got the biggest win of his career Saturday. He submitted Beneil Dariush via face crank in the second round after a left hand dazed him in the first round. Chiesa collected himself and continued to show off his improved striking game to gain an advantage on Dariush.
Ultimately, he took Dariush‘s back from a standing position. He looked to lock in the rear-naked choke, but he couldn’t get his forearm under Dariush‘s chin. That didn’t matter. Chiesa was able to apply enough pressure to make Dariush submit.
Chiesa has now won three fights in a row. After the bout, he called out Tony Ferguson. That could be an entertaining matchup.
Nurmagomedov Is Impressive in His Return to the Octagon
Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the scariest lightweights in the world, but injuries had kept him out of action for almost two years. Nurmagomedov took out his frustrations on Darrell Horcher. Nurmagomedov was supposed to face Ferguson, but an illness forced the latter out.
After a dominant first round, Nurmagomedov finished off a dominant performance with more ground supremacy. The 27-year-old Russian pounded Horcher out until referee James Warring stopped the bout.
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