The light heavyweight main event between Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira was a dramatic and bloody end to UFC Fight Night on May 13, with Teixeira demonstrating patience and heavy hitting and Smith surviving longer than expected after coming in hard the first two rounds.
Smith started off aggressively, landing a few jabs and kicks that went largely unanswered by Teixeira until about two minutes into the fight. Smith continued to be the primary aggressor, but Teixeira came back with a, few strikes that resulted in an unfortunate accidental groin strike to Smith that prompted a pause in the action. Smith came back heavy, landing a few solid strikes on Teixeira and appearing unfazed by the few strikes and kicks that his opponent threw at him. With under a minute left, Teixeira briefly managed to force Smith against the cage, and the fighters locked up as the bell rang to signal the end of the round.
The start of the second round saw a more aggressive Teixeira, but Smith’s defense and calculated strikes and kicks kept him relatively safe. Teixeira’s eye began to swell up, but as Smith began to slow down, Teixeira pushed him up against the cage and landed a few heavy strikes that left his opponent disoriented. With a minute left, Teixeira began to pick up the pace, with Smith still keeping up but still looking noticeably tired.
The third round started with a kick from Teixeira that Smith caught, using it to bring his opponent to the ground. However, he was unable to capitalize, and Teixeira got back to his feet. A strike from Teixeira made Smith crumple to the ground. Teixeira tried to take his back and then moved to mount, landing heavy strikes on Smith, who was focused on defending himself. Smith then pushed off the cage with his feet to roll out of the position, landing seated against the cage while Teixeira compressed him and threw knees against Smith’s sides. Teixeira then started working for hooks, landing continuous head strikes against Smith in the process. With under thirty seconds to go, Teixeira was able to get to mount while Smith continued to work on defending himself. Somehow, Smith was able to survive until the end of the round.
Teixeira landed a solid strike on Smith at the start of the fourth round, but Smith refused to give up, dishing out strikes before dropping to try to grab Teixeira’s leg. Teixeira sprawled and moved to the back again, working to get hooks and driving his arm across Smith’s face. He then let Smith get back up to his feet, and the two exchanged strikes before taking Smith down. Smith managed to get Teixeira in half-guard, but Teixeira landed continuous elbows and forced an exhausted Smith to focus on defense until the round ended. Smith mentioned to his corner that his teeth were “falling out.”
A short takedown attempt from Smith landed with Teixeira in his guard, which he quickly passed and moved to mount. He dealt a quick flurry of punches to Smith, and the referee finally called the fight and declared Teixeira the winner by TKO.
