Glover Teixeira managed to go the distance with the great Jon Jones, but on Sunday night, Alexander Gustafsson put the Brazilian away in the fifth.
It wasn’t that long ago when we witnessed another man send Teixeira to the shadow realm in just 13 seconds… but we’ll come back to that guy in a little while.
You couldn’t write a better outcome for Gustafsson on the night of his highly-anticipated return to Sweden. Over 12,500 fans packed into the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm to witness the country’s superstar MMA fighter stake his claim for a third crack at the UFC belt, and ‘the Mauler’ did not disappoint.
It was Teixeira who drew first blood in the fight, scoring a huge slam in the opening round. Shortly after, he took a finger to the eye that brought proceedings to a halt. After that, it was all Gus.
How did @gloverteixeira survive that?! #UFCStockholm
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 28, 2017
Gustafsson looked sensational on the feet, having continued success with his hands in particular, but Teixeira ate everything he threw at him in the first two rounds like it was a piece of fruit. Whenever Teixeira threatened to get close enough to grab hold of him or utilise his dirty boxing, Gustafsson wasn’t too proud to turn his back, flee the danger and reset.
In round three, Gustaffson dropped Teixeira to the mat with a beautiful combination before pouncing on the mat to try to end the contest. However, Teixeira showed tremendous heart to remain in the fight, recovering well every time he started looking dazed.
Just when it looked Teixeira’s chin would hold up long enough to go the distance, Gustafsson produced this moment of magic.
Uppercut 👊
Uppercut 👊
Uppercut 👊
TKO 💪Alexander Gustafsson brutally finishes Glover Teixeira and then shows a touch of class. 👏 pic.twitter.com/grTuI7BcFp
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) May 28, 2017
Three uppercuts in a row and a right hook sent Teixeira crashing down to the canvas. It was the perfect performance for the fans. Not only did they get the joy of seeing their hero dominate a fight for four rounds, but they also got to witness a stunning knockout as the payoff.
Unsurprisingly, Gustafsson picked up an extra $50,000 for the sensational performance, but that wasn’t even the best part of the night for him.
After giving a brief interview with Dan Hardy, he grabbed hold of the mic and asked his long-term girlfriend to come inside the Octagon. He got down on one knee, asked for her hand in marriage and the crowd erupted yet again when she said ‘yes’.
Now that's how to propose! Congrats to the future Mr and Mrs @AlexTheMauler 💍 pic.twitter.com/hCYpuYGD38
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 28, 2017
Remember that guy that starched Teixeira in 13 seconds we mentioned earlier? Yeah, Anthony Johnson was watching the card and he drew inspiration from the main event.
‘Rumble’ retired from the sport after losing his second title shot against Daniel Cormier 50 days ago, but it looks like he could be on course for a return to the sport.
Apart from rendering Teixeira unconscious in the blink of an eye, he also broke Swedish hearts in the Ericsson Globe at UFC on Fox 14, where he put Gustafsson away in the second with a vicious barrage of punches.
I'm getting that itch!
Show these boy's how to throw an uppercut the Right way!— Rumble Johnson (@Anthony_Rumble) May 28, 2017
