Midnight Mania! Teixeira Shuts Down Smith Via Unanimous Decision

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Earlier tonight (Thurs. June 30, 2023), Glover Teixeira and Anthony Smith faced off in the co-main event of the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unlike their first meeting — which cost “Lionheart” a few teeth — this battle would be a jiu-jitsu match entirely without strikes.

The first of three four minute rounds began with a good amount of hand fighting. Eventually, Smith actually pulled guard, but he was unable to destabilize the impressive base of Glover Teixeira. Later, he was taken down and did manage to counter with a nice arm drag, which allowed him to get behind the Brazilian. He wasn’t able to secure the back though, and Teixeira finished the round in half guard.

In the second, Smith landed a slick ankle pick to gain top position. He nearly passed at one point, but instead, Teixeira found a deep half guard sweep in the closing seconds of the round. Smith tried to counter with a guillotine choke, but the strangle failed, and Teixeira finished the round in mount.

After a competitive ten minutes, the match was still up in the air with four minutes remaining. This time, Teixeira left little doubt, bowling Smith over with a clinch takedown then slowly advancing position. He never came close with any submission, but Teixiera kept his hips tight and advanced all the way into mount. The most notable submission attempt of the match and fight was actually an attempted triangle from Smith, but it never came particularly close to forcing the tap.

The end result was a unanimous decision win for the former UFC champion. Check out the highlights below:

Insomnia

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Georges St. Pierre, looking jacked as ever, is on team ice bath.

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Ilia Topuria’s footwork and range was on full display last weekend.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

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Random Land

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Midnight Music: Mom pick #2

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.