5 best Glover Teixeira performances in the UFC

#2. Glover Teixeira vs. Ryan Bader – UFC Fight Night 28

Glover Teixeira stopped Ryan Bader in late 2013 to claim his first title shot

After defeating his first four opponents in the UFC in impressive fashion, Glover Teixeira found himself in his first headline bout a little over a year after his first octagon appearance. His opponent was perennial contender Ryan Bader, who was coming off three wins in four fights, and a title shot was on the line.

Remarkably, despite coming at the end of what turned out to be one of 2013’s most exciting events, the fight delivered the goods so much that it stole the show entirely and netted Teixeira a $50k bonus in the process.

The fight began in frantic fashion, with Teixeira attempting to take the noted wrestler down, managing it twice before ‘Darth’ quickly bounced back up to his feet.

From there, the two men went into a wild trade that saw Bader drop Teixeira hard with a looping left hand, and from there, ‘Darth’ moved in for the finish.

Teixeira was able to wobble up to his feet, but Bader cracked him with a combination that appeared to have him on the verge of going out. Incredibly, though, as the TUF 8 winner looked for an ending shot, Teixiera fired back with an incredible right-left combo that turned his lights out in an instant.

The come-from-behind win remains one of Teixeira’s most thrilling performances inside the octagon and it was enough to earn him his first shot at UFC gold, although he came up short in his challenge against Jon Jones.

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#1. Glover Teixeira vs. Jan Blachowicz – UFC 267

Glover Teixeira stunned everyone when he defeated Jan Blachowicz to finally claim UFC gold

While it didn’t come in a fight as exciting as his wins over the likes of Ryan Bader and Thiago Santos, it’s safe to say that Glover Teixeira’s greatest showing inside the octagon came in his UFC light heavyweight title victory over Jan Blachowicz.

Despite putting together a stellar run of five wins in a row leading into his shot at glory, very few fans were actually giving the Brazilian a chance of winning.

After all, he’d turned 42 years old days before the fight and Blachowicz was on top of his game, coming off a huge win over reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in his previous fight.

However, when it came to their bout, which headlined UFC 267, none of that mattered. Despite Blachowicz throwing his trademark thudding strikes early in the first round, it didn’t take long for Teixeira to drag him out of his comfort zone with a takedown.

The Brazilian dominated the remainder of the round on the mat, and when it came to the second round, Blachowicz was again unable to keep the fight vertical. This time, Teixeira was able to slice through his guard into a dominant position, and after taking the Polish fighter’s back, he wasted no time in sinking a fight-ending choke.

The upset victory made Teixeira just the second fighter to claim UFC gold after his 40th birthday, allowing him to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Randy Couture. Naturally, as it represents the pinnacle of his MMA career, it stands out as his greatest ever octagon performance.