Video recap: Teixeira survives knockdowns, submits Santos

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Glover Teixeira submitted Thiago Santos at UFC Vegas 13 after a back-and-forth three rounds.

Both men had some great moments in the main event of UFC Vegas 13, but it was Glover Teixeira who rallied to submit Thiago Santos in the third round.

What was the high point of the fight?

Santos was landing some heavy punches straight away in the first round. “Marreta” clipped Teixeira with a left hand followed by a right hook which left Glover shooting for a takedown in desperation as Santos continued to land punches. Teixeira was able to secure a takedown and maintain top position for the rest of the round.

Teixeira came close to finishing a rear-naked choke at the end of the second, but Santos was saved by the bell. At the start of the third round Santos dropped Teixeira with a left hook and almost finished the fight with follow-up elbows on the ground. Teixeira rallied and secured mount after a successful takedown. Santos gave up his back and Glover sunk in the rear-naked choke for the tap.

Where do both men go from here?

Santos will inevitably drop down a few spots in the light heavyweight rankings with this loss to the number three ranked Teixeira. It’s a disappointing comeback for “Marreta” after spending almost 18-months out following his loss to Jon Jones. A fight with Aleksandar Rakic may make sense next for Santos.

At the age of 41, Teixeira is undefeated in his last five UFC fights. Four of those wins have been finishes, and it’s undeniable that Teixeira should get a title shot against Jan Blachowicz with this win. However with Blachowicz likely to fight UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya next, maybe Teixeira should sit and wait to see how that fight plays out.

Watch it now, later or never?

It was an action-packed main event, watch it now.