The Brazilian slugger put on a resurgent performance by submitting Ovince Saint Preux with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 73 main event Saturday in Nashville. Saint Preux refused to tap; Teixeira put him to sleep and then immediately checked on his opponent afterward.
Teixeira (23-4) seemed like he was on the downside of his career with two straight losses against Jon Jones and Phil Davis. In the latter, especially, he looked dreadful. But Teixeira, 35, said his conditioning was not up to par in that Davis bout and it looked far, far better against Saint Preux.