Glover Teixeira’s remarkable career appears to have entered its fine-wine phase.
The 41-year-old Brazilian registered an improbable fifth consecutive victory and established himself as the clear No. 1 contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight division, as he closed out his back-and-forth war with Thiago Santos in the UFC on ESPN 17 main event with a third-round rear-naked choke on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Submitted for the first time in more than four years, Santos bowed out 1:49 into Round 3.
Teixeira waded through considerable danger and difficulty—he found himself on the brink of defeat more than once—to wear down the heavy-handed “Marreta” with takedowns, positional control and ground-and-pound.