Former light heavyweight title contender Glover Teixeira has kept his winning streak alive after pulling off a stunner in the main event of UFC Jacksonville, Wednesday night.
The 38 year-old fighter headlined the said fight card opposite fourth-ranked light heavyweight Anthony Smith at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Florida.
Recovering from a slow start, Teixeira turned the tables around in the third frame and never looked back as he punished ‘Lionheart’ with his monstrous striking on the feet and on the ground, resulting to a broken nose and fractured eye socket for Smith.
The 40-year old finished Smith at the 1:04 mark of the fifth round to stretch his winning streak to four fights.
“It’s not how you hit, it’s how hard you get hit and keep coming forward. That’s what it’s all about, baby. I was hoping [Smith would slow down]. The guy hits like a truck but I moved my head a lot. I trained so hard,” the Brazilian said after the dominant win.
Watch the highlights from #UFCJax main event bout below:
Smith has gone 1-2 in the last three outings including a defeat to heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.
“I’m good with the decisions the referee and my corner made,” he said of the TKO loss.
“When the ref made it clear he needed to see something or he was gonna stop it, I did what I had to do to stay in the fight. I come out of battle with my shield or I come out on it. That’s my rule. Period.”
UFC Jacksonville fight card full results (via CBS Sports):
Glover Teixeira def. Anthony Smith via fifth-round TKO (strikes)
Ben Rothwell def. Ovince Saint Preux via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Drew Dober def. Alexander Hernandez via second-round TKO (punches)
Ricky Simon def. Ray Borg via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Andrei Arlovksi def. Philipe Lins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Thiago Moises def. Michael Johnson via second-round submission (heel hook)
Sijara Eubanks def. Sarah Moras via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Omar Morales def. Gabriel Benitez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Brian Kelleher def. Hunter Azure via second-round TKO (strikes)
Chase Sherman def. Ike Villanueva via second-round TKO (strikes)
(Featured Image Source: Twitter/ UFC)