The best and worst from UFC Vegas 13: Santos vs. Teixeira
UFC Vegas 13: Santos vs. Teixeira was somewhat of a mixed bag of a show in the end. Lacking the fanfare of the two UFC shows that preceded it, it still looked like a solid card on paper, and a couple of the fights were downright fantastic.
However, a bunch of slower fights and a distinct lack of finishes – we only got two on the five-fight main card – made this UFC show largely one to forget.
Here are the best and worst moments from UFC Vegas 13: Santos vs. Teixeira.
#1 Best: Teixeira once again shows he’s one of the UFC’s toughest fighters
Coming into last night’s show, veteran UFC Light Heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira was on a four-fight winning streak. And simply put, nobody could’ve claimed that the streak didn’t come without a fight. Teixeira’s wins over Karl Roberson, Ion Cutelaba, Nikita Krylov, and Anthony Smith saw the Brazilian wear a lot of punishment before somehow pulling through to victory.
His fight last night with Thiago Santos was no different. Santos – who pushed then-UFC champ Jon Jones to the limit in the summer of 2019 – came out wildly, throwing a ton of heavy strikes at Teixeira and had him badly hurt. Somehow, Teixeira weathered the storm, though, and won the first two rounds with his strong ground game.
The third round, though, saw Teixeira eat a huge left hand that sent him crashing to the ground. It looked like he’d be set to lose by KO for just the third time in his UFC career – but somehow, he was able to recover and then turned the tide again. Moments later, Teixeira’s hand was raised as he was able to secure a rear-naked choke and force Marreta to submit.
Will the win net Teixeira another shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight title? Probably not, as UFC President Dana White has reportedly booked current UFC Middleweight champ Israel Adesanya to fight Jan Blachowicz next.
However you look at it, though, Teixeira is still as legitimate a contender as it gets at 205lbs right now. And based on his recent showings, he might be the UFC’s toughest fighter. In terms of last night’s show, he was definitely the big winner.
#1 Worst: The disgusting visual in the Griffin/Brahimaj fight
Last week’s UFC show featured a downright scary injury suffered by newcomer Charlie Antiveros – the kind of injury that reminds fans how inherently dangerous MMA can be. Well, this week’s didn’t see any fighters taken away on a spineboard, but it did provide us with one of the most disgusting visuals in UFC history.
The preliminary fight between Max Griffin and Ramiz Brahimaj was, at first, largely forgettable. The two men largely exchanged strikes at a somewhat slow pace through the first two rounds, but the third saw Griffin increase things dramatically.
Max Pain had already opened up a cut around his opponent’s left eye, but much worse was to follow. An elbow from Griffin targeted Brahimaj’s already-injured ear, and suddenly, the appendage was left hanging off the newcomer’s head.
Referee Mark Smith immediately called a halt to the action when he spotted the damage. It was too late at that point – this was already, visually at least, the most disgusting injury in UFC history.
Credit has to go to Griffin for picking up the win, but like last week’s injury to Antiveros, this was the kind of thing that could put prospective MMA fighters off the sport.