Glover Teixeira puts OSP to sleep, calls out light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier
The UFC’s light heavyweight contender picture came into focus on Saturday as former title challenger Glover Teixeira met Tennessee Volunteer footballer Ovince Saint Preux at UFC Fight Night in Nashville.
The hometown hero, Saint Preux, entered the Bridgestone Arena to the sounds of “Rocky Top,” and the crowd, nestled deep in the heart of SEC country, sang along accordingly.
However, after some initial early-round success that saw Saint Preux wobble Teixeira, the good vibes quickly soured as the Brazilian put on a ground control clinic, earning a bloody third-round submission over the No. 6-ranked prospect. Teixeira sunk in a deep rear-naked choke and Saint Preux refused to tap before losing consciousness at 3:10 of the third round.
“I’m back, man,” Teixeira said post-fight. “My last performance was bad. I just told myself, if I keep fighting like this, I’ll stop.”
He references back-to-back losses to Jon Jones and Phil Davis. Prior to the Jones and Davis hiccups, Teixeira was on a 19 fight-winning streak that spanned close to a decade.
Teixeira, who battled for the light heavyweight title against Jones in April 2014, thanked his trainers for getting him back into top form and on the hunt for UFC gold once again, “[UFC light heavyweight champ Daniel] Cormier, I told you before, I’m coming for you, baby,” he said. “I’m on the right track!”
It was Saint Preux who initially seemed to be on the right track, when he popped Teixeira early in the first round with a flurry, setup by a thudding liver kick. Teixeira, for his part, even acknowledged the blow post-fight.
The offensive attack from “OSP” was effective as Teixeira stumbled back, disoriented. However, the 36-year-old managed a nice scramble, and a double-leg takedown that landed him in various forms of control for the rest of the round.
Everything that came after was a formality, as Teixeira pummeled the Knoxville-native with various postured elbows, hammerfists, and anything else he could muster for the next two rounds.
“Give Glover a hand, he did a good job,” Saint Preux said post-fight. “It was really good fighting in Nashville.”
Fighting in your hometown affords certain luxuries. And it also presents its fair share of distractions. Saint Preux's mother was in attendance on Saturday and it was the first time watching her son fight live.
Whether or not that turned out to be a distraction for the 32-year-old is anyone’s guess. However, he seemed legitimately appreciative of the support that the hometown fans showed for his performance.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come out with win," Saint Preux said. "I just wanted to put a show for y’all. Me, I’m not the type of person to lay down but I think I did a pretty good job. Even though he had it sunk in deep, I told myself he was going to have to put me away.”
