Glover Teixeira’s title chances seemed dead to many, but the Brazilian made sure to change minds fight by fight.
Prior to winning the UFC light heavyweight belt in 2021, Teixeira didn’t have many believers that he could one day hold gold. Teixeira was in his early 40s, and already had a title shot many moons ago in 2014.
Yet, Teixeira began racking up the wins and slowly, but surely, he became undeniable for a championship opportunity. And one of those convincing performances came against fellow veteran Anthony Smith in 2020 in the main event of UFC Fight Night 171.
The 205-pound contender bout would start competitive, but after the first round, Teixeira took control and badly battered a very tough Smith on both the feet and ground. Ultimately, Teixeira was able to get a TKO stoppage using ground-and-pound from mount early in the fifth.
You can watch Teixeira’s dominant win in the video above.
Teixeira (33-8 MMA, 16-6 UFC) is now gearing up to re-claim what was his not so long ago. He’s set to meet Jamahal Hill (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant strap at UFC 283. The event takes place Jan. 21 at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC and ESPN+.
Ironically, Smith (36-17 MMA, 11-7 UFC) intends to travel to Brazil to serve as a backup for the bout in the event either Teixeira or Hill become unavailable.
