5 best Glover Teixeira performances in the UFC

#4. Glover Teixeira vs. Thiago Santos – UFC on ESPN 17

Glover Teixeira weathered a major storm to defeat Thiago Santos in 2021

Glover Teixeira is undoubtedly one of the most well-rounded fighters in modern UFC history, as he’s shown himself capable of finishing his opponents both on the feet and on the ground. However, one aspect of his style that is largely underrated by the fans is his toughness and durability.

Sure, Teixeira has been finished a couple of times in the octagon, but he’s also fought his way through some major adversity at times, surviving some horrible moments to pull off some big victories.

One such victory came against former title challenger Thiago Santos in November 2020. The fight pitted Teixeira against one of the most dangerous and aggressive strikers in the light heavyweight division. When it began, it looked like he’d bitten off more than he could chew.

‘Marreta’ clocked Teixeira with some huge punches early on, putting him on completely rubber legs. Quite how the future champion remained on his feet was a total mystery. Somehow, Teixeira survived, and was able to turn the tables almost instantly, slamming Santos to the ground.

From there, shaking off the cobwebs, he sliced through his fellow Brazilian’s guard, and punished him for the remainder of the round. The second round followed the same pattern, but after Teixeira narrowly failed to finish his foe, he found himself in danger again when the third round began.

Santos nailed his older foe with a huge left hand that flattened him. After pouncing on him, it appeared that he was seconds away from finding a finish. Incredibly, though, Teixeira again weathered the storm, reversed position, and turned the tables again.

The then-future champion quickly moved into a dominant position, hammered Santos with elbows, and then applied a rear-naked choke to submit him. It was an excellent win for Teixeira, particularly given the storm he weathered, and it set him up perfectly for his title shot in 2021.

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#3. Glover Teixeira vs. Ion Cutelaba – UFC Fight Night 150

Glover Teixeira showed off his toughness and durability in his win over Ion Cutelaba

Another fight that saw Glover Teixeira weather a serious storm came when he faced off with aggressive striker Ion Cutelaba in the spring of 2019. This fight saw the Brazilian come dangerously close to being finished. The fact that he recovered to win makes it stand out as one of his greatest showings.

After a feeling out process in the first round, ‘The Hulk’ dropped Teixeira with a brutal spinning backfist, and then came close to stopping him with some heavy punches on the ground.

However, Teixeira survived, only to get hurt again towards the end of the round, but Cutelaba simply didn’t have enough time to take him out. The Moldovan was clearly confident coming into the second round, but he would soon be disappointed.

Teixeira was recovered once the round began and he quickly tagged Cutelaba with a right hand that wobbled him. ‘The Hulk’ suddenly appeared to be tired and after another big exchange, he found himself dragged to the ground.

From there, Teixeira took full mount, flattened his opponent out, and then choked him out with just over a minute of the round remaining, picking up a big win in the process.

Sure, Cutelaba has proven that he’s not quite the hot prospect that many observers expected him to be in the years that have followed this fight, but at the time, this was a huge win for Teixeira, and the quality of his performance still stands out today.