More than eight years after he first challenged for the UFC light heavyweight title, Glover Teixeira broke through at Saturday’s UFC 267, submitting Jan Blachowicz to win the title.
The win for the 42-year-old makes him the second-oldest UFC champion of all time behind Randy Couture who was 43 years, eight months when he defeated Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight title in 2007. Teixeira (33-7) challenged then-champion Jon Jones in April 2014 and lost via unanimous decision.
The Danbury, Connecticut, native by way of Brazil dominated the first round, getting Blachowicz to the ground and making the him pay with timely strikes as Blachowicz kept him in his full guard.
Blachowicz (33-7) opened up in the second round as both men exchanges punches on the feet. But a left hook by Teixeira hurt Blachowicz and as the two grappled next to the cage, Teixeira got the champion down and took his back, quickly submitting him with a rear naked choke-esque submission that saw more pressure applied to his jaw than under his chin.
The win is the sixth straight for Teixeira dating back to January 2019 with him getting a finish in five of them. The win snaps a five-fight winning streak for Blachowicz who was looking for the second defense of his title. He won the then-vacant title in September 2020 by defeating Dominick Reyes by second round TKO.
The Abu Dhabi card that aired on ESPN+ in the U.S. also saw a new interim men’s bantamweight champion crowned as Petr Yan defeated Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision in the co-main event.
Yan previously held the undisputed version, but lost it to Aljamain Sterling via DQ following an illegal knee strike in their March fight. Sterling is recovering from neck surgery, hence the interim title.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 267: Blachowicz vs. Teixeira, emanating from the Etihad Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabu.
It’s a special non-pay-per-view numbered event for ESPN+ subscribers, with a stacked card as the Octagon heads back to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, bringing along two title fights and a card full of great match-ups.
In the main event, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz defends the title for a second time against challenger Glover Teixeira. Blachowicz’ last trip to Fight Island brought along the biggest moment of his career, as he finished Dominick Reyes to win the championship. He made a successful defense against Israel Adesanya in March. Teixeira gets a second chance to win the title as his career resurgence has seen him win five straight bouts coming into this one.
In the co-main event, an Interim UFC Bantamweight Championship is up for grabs as former UFC Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan takes on Cory Sandhagen. Yan was supposed to have a rematch with current champion Aljamain Sterling, but Sterling wasn’t cleared to compete due to neck issues. In steps Sandhagen on short notice, and the two will fight for the interim title and the next shot at Sterling.
The rest of the main card is full of intriguing fights as Islam Makhachev battles Dan Hooker in a lightweight bout, heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Marcin Tybura square off, Li Jingliang welcomes much-hyped Khamzat Chimaev back to action in a middleweight bout, and light heavyweight sluggers Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir kick off the main card.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 10:30 AM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
ESPN+ PRELIMS | 10:30 AM ET/7:30 AM PT
> Tagir Ulanbekov (#15, 12-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Allan Nascimento (18-5, 0-0 UFC) Flyweights
Nascimento lands some leg kicks early as Ulanbekov lands some punches. Nascimento with another leg kick. Nascimento with another leg kick and they trade punches. Ulanbekov with the jab and Nascimento with a leg kick. They clinch and Ulanbekov gets the takedown. Nascimento looking for the triangle choke but Ulanbekov quickly escapes. Nascimento trying to clear the hips and get an armbar. He uses it to sweep to the top but they scramble and Ulanbekov is looking for the takedown. They scramble to the mat and Ulanbekov has a mounted guillotine choke locked in but Nascimento somehow escapes. Ulanbekov remains on top. Nascimento has the neck and then looks for an arm for a kimura. Fun round. 10-9 Ulanbekov.
Nascimento with a leg kick to start the second. He lands another. He lands another as Ulanbekov is looking to grapple. Ulanbekov drops for the takedown against the fence. He gets it down and Nascimento is looking for the arm from the bottom. Ulanbekov escapes and gets back into Nascimento’s full guard. Both land on the mat. Nascimento throwing elbows from the bottom. Nascimento with another elbow from the bottom. Ulanbekov landing small shots but not doing much. Nascimento looks for an armbar late. 10-9 Nascimento, 19-19.
Nascimento with a leg kick. Ulanbekov gets the takedown and Nascimento tries to sweep as he grabs the arm. Nascimento now looking for a reverse triangle. Ulanbekov gets out and into the full guard. Ulanbekov with short punches from the top. They both battle for ground position as both land short punches. Ulanbekov lands a nice left hand from the top. Ulanbekov remains on top and in control on the ground. Nascimento looks for a kimura again. Ulanbekov lands some nice punches from the top at the end. 10-9 Ulanbekov, 29-28 Ulanbekov.
Official Result- Tagir Ulanbekov def. Allan Nascimento by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
> Hu Yaozong (3-2, 0-2 UFC) vs. Andre Petroski (6-1, 1-0 UFC) Middleweights
Petroski lands a left hand and then again. Yaozong tries a head kick and falls down and Petroski gets him in a guillotine choke. Petroski lets go but is in the mount and takes the back and lands some big punches. He now looks for a rear-naked choke. It was in a bad angle and they scramble and Petroski has the neck again. They get to their feet and break. Petroski with two left hands. Petroski with a hard left hand and Yaozong lands a front kick to the body. Petroski with another left hand. They trade punches and Petroski landing more. Petroski already looking tired. He gets a takedown but Yaozong scrambles up. Yaozong with a body kick. Petroski is landing punches. Yaozong with a leg kick. Petroski lands late. 10-9 Petroski.
Petroski gets an early takedown and they scramble up. Petroski with a left hand. They trade punches and Petroski gets another takedown. Petroski in the half-guard. Petroski lands some punches and he has the back and looks for the neck again. They scramble and Petroski in side control. Petroski gets the back and lands a big right hand. He now gets on top and looks for an arm-triangle. He lets go and remains on top. He goes back for it. Yaozong gets out and Petroski has the back and lands a right hand. He remains there and they scramble at the end. 10-9 Petroski, 20-18 Petroski.
Petroski with a body kick. Petroski with a left hand. Petroski gets a takedown against the fence. Petroski with some left hands. Yaozong grabs the fence. Petroski lands some elbows. Petroski takes the back. Yaozong tries to scramble out but Petroski still has control. Petroski has the neck. They break as they get to the feet. Yaozong with a leg kick. Petroski lands some big punches. Petroski gets a takedown and is in side control and moves to the mount. Petroski looks for a choke but lets go and lands a big elbow. Petroski now landing some punches. Petroski now looking for a choke from the top as he has the arm-triangle locked in and Yaozong taps. Dominant win for Petroski.
Official Result- Andre Petroski def. Hu Yaozong by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:46 of Round 3
Amirkhani goes for the takedown and completes it. He gets to side control and lands and then moves to the half-guard. He moves to the full guard. They scramble up for a moment and Amirkhani gets another takedown. Murphy looking to throw his legs up but Amirkhani flips over to side control. Amirkhani ends up back on top after a scramble at the end of the round. 10-9 Amirkhani.
Amirkhani goes for the takedown and Murphy connects with a knee as he was coming in and Amirkhani is out cold. What a finish by Murphy.
Official Result- Lerone Murphy def. Makwan Amirkhani by knockout (knee) at :14 of Round 2
> Shamil Gamzatov (14-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (15-4 1 NC, 3-2 1 NC UFC) Light Heavyweights
Oleksiejczuk with a body shot. Gamzatov lands a combo. Oleksiejczuk with a left hand that stuns Gamzatov. He lands a left to the body. They trade in close range. They both land again in close. Gamzatov with a leg kick. Oleksiejczuk with a flurry. Oleksiejczuk with a combo. They trade in close against the fence. Oleksiejczuk with all of the pressure. Gamzatov lands an uppercut. Gamzatov with a right hand. Oleksiejczuk with an uppercut and Gamzatov drops to his knees and some more punches from Oleksiejczuk ends it. Nice finish by Oleksiejczuk.
Official Result- Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Shamil Gamzatov by TKO (punches) at 3:31 of Round 1
> Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (22-7, 8-3 UFC) vs. Benoit Saint-Denis (8-0 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) Welterweights
Saint-Denis is making his UFC debut. Zaleski lands some leg kicks. They clinch up against the fence. They break quickly and both throw leg kicks. Saint-Denis throwing big punches and drops for a takedown. Zaleski has the neck. Saint-Denis completes the takedown. They get to their feet. Saint-Denis with a front kick as Zaleski lands a right hand. Saint-Denis with a combo and a body kick. Zaleski with an inside leg kick. They trade and Zaleski lands a big right hand. Saint-Denis shoots for the takedown but Zaleski sprawls. Zaleski with a high kick. Zaleski with a leg kick followed by a left hand. Zaleski with a high kick. Zaleski with a combo. Saint-Denis with a body kick. 10-9 Zaleski.
Zaleski landing early in the second. Saint-Denis tries for a takedown but Zaleski defends. Zaleski looks for a takedown but Saint-Denis defends. Saint-Denis lands a right hand. Zaleski with a flying knee and then lands another knee and Saint-Denis is hurt. Zaleski with a flurry of punches and he’s teeing off and landing big punches. Zaleski with more knees and a right hand. Saint-Denis throwing as well. What an exchange. Zaleski still pouring it on and Saint-Denis shoots for a takedown. They stand and Zaleski with a knee and a right hand. Zaleski with a body shot and then wobbles Saint-Denis with a massive right hand. Zaleski pouring it on against the fence and landing a lot of shots and it should be stopped. Saint-Denis goes for a takedown but Zaleski defends and lands more punches and knees to the body. They stand and Saint-Denis can barely stand. Zaleski landing big punches and is busted open and can barely walk. Zaleski landing big punches and this fight should be stopped but the referee doing nothing. Zaleski landing more big punches as Saint-Denis is just standing there eating them. Zaleski with big knees. Saint-Denis then rocks Zaleski. Saint-Denis gets a takedown but they get up. They break. Zaleski with a big right hand. He rocks Saint-Denis with a right hand again. 10-8 Zaleski, 20-17 Zaleski.
This fight goes on though it shouldn’t. Both look exhausted. They trade and both land good shots. We have an eye poke and a timeout. Saint-Denis was saying he can’t see and the referee didn’t even bring the doctor in and pretty much made Saint-Denis continue as they get back to action. Zaleski rocks Saint-Denis and they go to the ground and Zaleski is in the guard. They get up and Zaleski lands a combo. Saint-Denis trying for a takedown but Zaleski defends as he continues to land. We have a groin strike and a timeout. He took a point from Zaleski even though he never gave him a warning. That is bad. They get back to action and Zaleski lands a right hand and a body kick. Zaleski with a flying knee. 9-9 Zaleski, 29-26 Zaleski.
This was without a doubt the worst referee job in UFC history. And I’ve seen every UFC fight in history, and I mean every single one, and many of them live since 2001.
Official Result- Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Benoit Saint-Denis by unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-26)
> Albert Duraev (14-3, 0-0 UFC) vs. Roman Kopylov (8-1, 0-1 UFC) Middleweights
Duraev is making his UFC debut. Duraev with a leg kick. Kopylov with a leg kick that trips Duraev up. Duraev lands more leg kicks as both are being patient on the feet. Duraev misses a right hand. Kopylov with a leg kick. Duraev throws a head kick and Kopylov catches it but lets go. Duraev with a hard leg kick. Duraev with some left hooks. Kopylov with a knee that just misses the body. Kopylov with a late combo. 10-9 Duraev.
Kopylov drops Duraev right away to start the second but Duraev is able to get up. Duraev is looking for the takedown and Kopylov grabs the cage a couple of times and Jason Herzog gives him a big warning. They get back to action and Duraev gets a takedown. Duraev gets the full mount. Duraev with some big ground and pound. Big elbows from the top by Duraev. More big punches from the top by Duraev. He’s landing big shots. Duraev with more big punches and Kopylov is getting eaten alive from the top. Duraev takes the back and is landing big punches and has a choke locked in late but the horn saves Kopylov. 10-8 Duraev, 20-17 Duraev.
Kopylov is a bloody mess. Duraev goes for a takedown against the fence. Duraev backs away and lands some punches and then goes back for the takedown against the fence. They get to the center. Kopylov puts his hands on his knees and then lands a left hand. Kopylov with a combo and spits out his mouth piece. Kopylov with the double jab. He lands a combo. They trade in close. Kopylov lands a left hand as Duraev went for a takedown and then Kopylov gets a takedown and has the back as they stand. 10-9 Kopylov, 29-27 Duraev.
Official Result- Albert Duraev def. Roman Kopylov by unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ramos with a leg kick. They trade left hands. Ramos with a leg kick. Ramos with a leg kick and Tukhugov lands a counter right hand. Tukhugov with a right hand. Tukhugov with a right hand. He lands another. Tukhugov with a right hand and they both land hard shots in an exchange. Tukhugov with a big right hand and then hurts Ramos with another. Ramos with a leg kick as Tukhugov lands a combo. They trade jabs. Tukhugov applying pressure. Tukhugov with a right hand. Ramos rocks Tukhugov with a spinning elbow. They trade jabs. 10-9 Tukhugov.
Tukhugov with a right hand over the top that lands. They trade in close range. Tukhugov with a right hand. They trade in close range. Ramos with a leg kick. They both land jabs. Ramos with a leg kick. Ramos with a right hand. Tukhugov lands a right hand. They both continue to land. Tukhugov with a leg kick. They trade jabs. Tukhugov with a combo. Tukhugov looks for a takedown and has the back and gets a back trip. 10-9 Tukhugov, 20-18 Tukhugov.
They trade jabs to start the third. They trade jabs again. Ramos with a spin kick to the body. Tukhugov with the jab. Ramos with a body kick. Ramos with a knee to the body. They trade some hard shots. They trade jabs. Tukhugov with a stiff jab. Tukhugov with the jab. Tukhugov with an overhand right. Tukhugov with the jab. Both are still landing and Ramos lands a right hand. Ramos with a right hand. Tukhugov goes for the takedown and has a brief back trip but continues with back control as the fight ends. 10-9 Tukhugov, 30-27 Tukhugov.
Official Result- Zubaira Tukhugov def. Ricardo Ramos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
They trade early on with both landing. Ribas with a body kick and both went for the takedown but they break away. Ribas with a leg kick. They trade and Jandiroba shoots for the takedown and gets it. Jandiroba in the full guard of Ribas. Ribas looked for some type of triangle but Jandiroba gets out. Jandiroba stays on top but both are being active on the ground. Jandiroba with a right hand from the top. She lands some shots from the top. They are stood up. Jandiroba drops Ribas with a right hand late. 10-9 Jandiroba.
They trade and Ribas lands a hard right hand. They trade punches. Jandiroba with a combo. Ribas with a spinning back kick to the body. Jandiroba with a combo ending with a body kick. They trade in close range but Ribas putting the pressure on. Ribas lands the jab. She lands again and lands the right hand. Jandiroba tries a takedown but Ribas defends and ends up on top before they scramble up and separate. Ribas with a couple of right hands. Ribas with another right hand. Ribas pushes it up against the fence. Ribas gets a brief takedown. 10-9 Ribas, 19-19.
Ribas landing some leg kicks and a right hand. Ribas with a combo and a leg kick. Ribas with a leg kick. Ribas with the jab and a front kick to the body. Ribas continuing to land combinations as Jandiroba is trying for a takedown. Ribas defends well and lands a right hand as they break. Ribas with a head kick and that wobbles Jandiroba. Jandiroba running back and Ribas lands an uppercut. Ribas lands a right hand. Ribas with a combo. Ribas with a leg kick. They trade in close range. Jandiroba tries a late takedown but Ribas sprawls. 10-9 Ribas, 29-28 Ribas.
Official Result- Amanda Ribas def. Virna Jandiroba by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ankalaev with the jab. Oezdemir lands a right hand. Oezdemir lands a combo and just misses a flying knee. Oezdemir with some elbows. They’re clinched against the fence. Oezdemir with some knees. They break and Ankalaev lands a left hand. Oezdemir with a leg kick. Ankalaev with a leg kick. Ankalaev drops him with a left hand but Oezdemir gets to his feet. They trade late. Ankalaev with a good left hand. 10-9 Ankalaev.
Oezdemir with the leg kick. Ankalaev lands a knee. They trade leg kicks. Both land some good punches. Ankalaev lands a punch and Oezdemir has a cut open over the left eye from the left hook by Ankalaev. Ankalaev pressing forward but neither throwing a whole lot. They clinch and Ankalaev has the back and looks for the takedown. Ankalaev lands an elbow as they break and Oezdemir with a leg kick. 10-9 Ankalaev, 20-18 Ankalaev.
Oezdemir throws a high kick. Oezdemir with a leg kick and Ankalaev lands a body kick. Ankalaev lands a right hook. Ankalaev with a combo. They trade punches as both still looking for openings. Oezdemir with an inside leg kick. Ankalaev with the right hand. Ankalaev with a body kick after he lands some punches. Ankalaev lands a right hook and a body kick. Ankalaev ties up late. 10-9 Ankalaev, 30-27 Ankalaev.
Official Result- Magomed Ankalaev def. Volkan Oezdemir by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Li Jingliang (#11, 18-6, 10-4 UFC) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (9-0, 3-0 UFC) Welterweights
Chimaev goes right for the takedown and then gets the back and completes it. Chimaev with back control but trying to get the hooks in. Chimaev lands some punches as Jingliang trying to fight the hands. Chimaev flattens Jingliang out and Chimaev landing lots of punches and Jingliang isn’t moving much. Chimaev with big shots. He gets a rear-naked choke locked in deep. Jingliang fighting it. He switches and Chimaev has it deeper and Jingliang goes to sleep! What complete domination by Chimaev.
Official Result- Khamzat Chimaev def. Li Jingliang by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:16 of Round 1
> Alexander Volkov (#5, 33-9, 7-3 UFC) vs. Marcin Tybura (#8, 22-6, 9-5 UFC) Heavyweights
Volkov throwing kicks right away and lands some punches. Tybura lands a left hand. Tybura with a leg kick and Volkov counters with some punches. Volkov lands a right hand. Volkov lands some more. Tybura goes for the takedown but they go to the mat with Volkov on top. Volkov in the half-guard. Volkov lands from the top as the round ends. 10-9 Volkov.
Volkov with a right hand and then a body kick. They trade punches. Tybura goes for the takedown but Volkov defends. Tybura lands a left hand and Volkov lands a big knee. Volkov continues to land after they break and they clinch and Volkov with knees. Tybura lets go and then clinches back up. Volkov with a knee and Tybura grabs the single leg. Volkov with a right hand as they break. Tybura with a high kick. They trade right hands. Both have slowed down. Tybura lands more at the end. 10-9 Tybura, 19-19.
Volkov with a knee to the body as both look for openings. Volkov lands some uppercuts and then lands another. Volkov with a right hand. Tybura with a left hand. He clinches again looking for the takedown but it isn’t even close. Volkov with a combo after they break. Volkov with a right hand. Tybura with a left hand. They clinch again. Volkov with a combo as they break. Volkov with a high kick. Volkov with a right hand. Tybura with a right hand late. 10-9 Volkov, 29-28 Volkov.
Official Result- Alexander Volkov def. Marcin Tybura by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
> Islam Makhachev (#5, 20-1, 9-1 UFC) vs. Dan Hooker (#6, 21-10, 11-6 UFC) Lightweights
They trade jabs and Makhachev gets the takedown. Makhachev in the half-guard against the fence and trying to work. Hooker lands short punches from the bottom. Makhachev works for a kimura and has it locked in and Hooker taps! What a finish by Makhachev.
Official Result- Islam Makhachev def. Dan Hooker by submission (kimura) at 2:25 of Round 1
> Petr Yan (#1, 15-2, 7-1 UFC) vs. Cory Sandhagen (#3, 14-3, 7-2 UFC) Interim UFC Bantamweight Championship
Sandhagen with a short leg kick. Sandhagen with another leg kick. Yan with a leg kick. Sandhagen with a short right hand and a body kick. Sandhagen with a leg kick. Sandhagen with a combo to the body. Yan with a body kick. Sandhagen lands to the body. Sandhagen with a leg kick. Yan with a leg kick. Sandhagen shoots for the takedown but gets the back as they work to the fence. Sandhagen with a right hand as they break. They trade and Yan with a high kick. Sandhagen with a combo ending with a leg kick. They trade in close range. Yan with some leg kicks. Sandhagen with some late body shots as they trade. 10-9 Sandhagen.
Sandhagen with a leg kick as he’s coming forward. Yan with a body kick. They trade in close range. Yan with a hard body kick. Yan with a body kick and then a leg kick and then a big left hand. Sandhagen with a left to the body and Yan lands a left to the head. They trade in close range as both show incredible movement. Yan with a spinning back fist and a follow-up left hand. Sandhagen with an uppercut and Yan comes back with a combo. They trade short punches and Yan with a body kick. Sandhagen with a leg kick. Sandhagen shoots for the takedown but Yan defends. Sandhagen with a quick combo and a jumping knee. They trade punches. Sandhagen with a leg kick. 10-9 Yan, 19-19.
They trade kicks to start the third. Sandhagen with a combo then a leg kick. Sandhagen with an inside leg kick. They trade punches in close range. Sandhagen with a leg kick and Yan checks it. Yan with a left hand. Yan with an uppercut and then lands a combo. Yan lands as he rushes forward. They both land in short range and Yan is finding a home for the left hand. Sandhagen lands the jab. Yan with a spinning back fist and drops Sandhagen. Yan gets on top and lands but Sandhagen scrambles out. Yan grabs the neck and lands some more and then tries to take the back. Sandhagen in side control as they scramble. Yan landing punches. They get to their feet. Yan lands a left hand and another late. 10-9 Yan, 29-28 Yan.
Yan lands a left hand after Sandhagen misses the jumping knee. Yan with a left hand. Sandhagen with a right hand and Yan lands a clean left hand. Yan with a body kick. Yan lands the left hand. Sandhagen gets a takedown and they both look for the ankle and Yan slips out to the feet. They break. Sandhagen shoots again but Yan defends. Yan with a big combo and then lands to the body and then a left hand to the head. Yan with a combo. Sandhagen lands an elbow. Yan with a hard right hand. Sandhagen shoots for the takedown and Yan sprawls and lands some punches. They get up and Yan lands a combo. Yan with a left hand. 10-9 Yan, 39-37 Yan.
Yan lands a left hand and Sandhagen lands a couple of jabs and an inside leg kick. Sandhagen lands the jumping knee but Yan covered up. Yan with a body kick. Sandhagen with a leg kick and Yan lands a left hand. Yan misses a left but lands a short right hook. Sandhagen with a right hand after he defends a takedown attempt from Yan. Sandhagen landing more here in the round. Yan lands a massive head kick that Sandhagen eats without issue. They trade punches in close range. They keep trading and Sandhagen with a jumping knee. Yan with a spinning attack late. Great fight. 10-9 Yan, 49-46 Yan.
Official Result- Petr Yan def. Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) to win the Interim UFC Bantamweight Championship
> Jan Blachowicz (C, 28-8, 11-5 UFC) vs. Glover Teixeira (#1, 32-7, 15-5 UFC) UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Teixeira looking for the takedown right away and he gets it. Teixeira landing body shot from the top. Teixeira with some more punches. Blachowicz has been unable to explode from the bottom. Teixeira lands some short elbows. Teixeira with body shots then an elbow. Teixeira with more shots from the top to the body and head. He ends the round on top. 10-9 Teixeira.
Both look to trade right away. Teixeira drops down for the takedown but Blachowicz defends. Blachowicz lands some punches. Teixeira with the jab. Blachowicz with an uppercut. They clinch against the fence. They break. Blachowicz with the jab. Teixeira lands the jab. Teixeira rocks Blachowicz with a left hook. Blachowicz lands a combo. They trade and Teixeira tries for a takedown and Blachowicz slips to the mat. Teixeira gets the mount and has the back and flattens him out and Teixeira gets the rear-naked choke and Blachowicz taps! WOW. Teixeira is a champion at 42 years old.
Official Result- Glover Teixeira def. Jan Blachowicz by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:02 of Round 2 to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
Some notes for the weekend. Garrett and I will be doing two shows, we will be talking with Jon Moxley about his book “Mox,” and also be doing a show on the Vince McMahon steroid trial with Wade Keller. The latter came from a suggestion from social media.
In theory, pending any changes at the last minute, Smackdown will air at 8 p.m. Eastern on FS 1, not FOX, with replays at 10 p.m. and midnight. Talking Smack won’t air on television even though it’s listed. There are obvious reasons for this, given Talking Smack was going head-to-head with Rampage and I didn’t see that as happening when push came to shove. The only match announced was Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs vs. Happy Corbin & Madcap Moss in a Trick or Treat street fight.
A note that you may want to manually set your DVR for Smackdown tonight. A lot of systems if you have an automatic DVR taping for Smackdown on FOX that it does not cover the show tonight on FS1. Some systems it does. One of the reasons for the low DVR numbers for 10/15 for Smackdown was because people expected they had it recorded only to find out they didn’t.
Rampage tonight has Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston in the title tournament in a match taped Wednesday that everyone said was near classic level, plus Matt Sydal vs. Dante Martin and Britt Baker vs. Abadon in a non-title no DQ street fight.
As it turned out, adding in DVR numbers, on 10/15 when Smackdown was on FS 1 and Rampage was also on and there was the head-to-head half hour, for the entire show Rampage ended up at 0.33 and Smackdown ended up at 0.30.
205 Live tonight on Peacock has Boa vs. Jeet Rama, Sarray vs. Katrina Cortez and Xyon Quinn vs. Ru Feng.
UFC 267 starts at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow from Abu Dhabi on ESPN+:
Tagir Ulanbekov (125) vs. Allan Nascimento (126)
Hu Yaozong (186) vs. Andre Petroski (185.5)
Makwan Amirkhani (146) vs. Lerone Murphy (146)
Michal Oleksiejczuk (206) vs. Shamil Gamzatov (206)
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (170.5) vs. Benoit St. Denis (171)
Albert Duraev (186) vs. Roma Kopylov (186)
Ricardo Ramos (146) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (146)
Amanda Ribas (115.5) vs. Virna Jandiroba (116)
Magomed Ankalaev (205.5) vs. Volkan Oezdemir (205.5)
Li Jingliang (171) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (171)
Alexander Volkov (263) vs. Marcin Tybura (249)
Islam Makhachev (155.5) vs. Dan Hooker (156)
Petr Ya (135) vs. Cory Sandhagen (135) for the interim bantamweight title
Jan Blachowicz (205) vs. Glover Teixeira (205) for the light heavyweight title
Charlotte Flair is at Smackdown tonight and was scheduled to wrestle pending a change in plans.
Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury in a boxing match has been announced for a PPV promoted by Showtime on 12/18. It will be an eight-round fight set at 192 pounds, from the Amalie Arena in Tampa.
WWE
WWE is doing two tickets for the price of one for the 11/29 Raw show at the UBS Arena in Long Island because of slow ticket sales.The offer is good until Monday night and the password is TREAT.
Lots of tickets for holiday shows went on sale today. The 12/27 show at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit for Raw is at 2,795 tickets. The 12/28 house show in Pittsburgh at the PPG Paints Arena is at 3,714.
UFC
With Kevin Holland having pulled out of the 11/13 show due to injury, Kyle Daukaus, Holland’s original opponent, will now face Roman Dolidze.
OTHER NOTES
Sorry to report the death of Tom Cusati, who managed around the Northeast as Royce Prophet and promoted shows as head of the Galaxy Wrestling Federation. Cusati was a subscriber here since as far back as I can remember and after he moved to Las Vegas I’d see him at PWG shows all the time.
Wrestling Revolver tomorrow night in Clive IA at the Horizon Event Center with Jon Moxley vs. Jimmy Jacobs in a street fight, a ladder match to crown a new Revolver champion with Rich Swann vs. Trey Miguel vs. JT Dunn vs. Jake Manning, Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards reunite the America Wolves against Tyler Matrix & Logan James, Jake Crist vs. Alex Colon in a four corners of pain match, Ace Austin vs. Alex Zayne, Matt Rehwoldt vs. Anthony Green, Jessicka Havok vs. Billy Starks, Madman Fulton vs. Warhorse vs Ninja Mack vs.Everett Connors vs. Crash Jaxon vs.Sam Beale plus Danhausen on the card.
AAW’s Jim Lyman Cup takes place this weekend. The first round is tonight at the Eagles Club in Berwyn, IL and the rest of the tournament takes place tomorrow night. First round haas Mance Warner vs. Josh Alexander, Arez vs. Myron Reed, Alex Hammerstone vs. Manders, Lee Moriarty vs. Ace Perry, ACH vs. Davey Vega, Daniel Garcia vs. Thomas Shire, Jake Something vs. Mat Fitchett and Schaff vs. Hakim Zane. Fred Yehi also defends the AAW title tonight.
At 2 p.m. tomorrow they have a show with Yehi vs. Eddie Kingston, Allysin kay vs. Nicole Savoy for the women’s title, Skye Blue & Christi Jaynes vs. Axel Rico & Rico De La Vega and Thunder Rosa vs. Jody Threat. Saturday night will be the completion of the Jim Lyman Cup.
Defy runs tonight and 11/20 in Seattle at Washington Hall. Jeff Cobb vs. Jacob Fatu and Homicide vs. Ethan HD headline tonight’s how. El Phantasmo vs Sonic was also announced. the 11/20 show is headlined by Jon Moxley vs. Tom Lawlor
SEScoops reported that Mance Warner was officially released from his MLW contract. We’ve confirmed the story is accurate.
Matt Cardona has been added to the 11/26 AIW show in Eastlake, OH at Force Sports.
Combate Globo runs tonight on Paramount + at 11 p.m. Eastern headlined by Levi Escobar (2-0) vs. Daniel Sanchez (2-1).
WAR on 11/6 in Lima, OH at the Empowered Sports Center
CFFC ends the year with a show on 12/17 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City featuring Eddy Torres (4-0) vs. Blade Bilder (4-0-1). This airs on UFC Fight Pass and C.M. Punk announces for CFFC.
Fight Club OC returns on 11/11 at The Hangar at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Southern California. The show will consist of both MMA fights and boxing fights.
MCW tonight in Baltimore at the FPX Theater Live with Penta, Dante Caballero, Moses, Sam Adonis, Tony Deppen and Ray Lyn.
ROH referee Mike Coughlin was a contestant on Wheel of Fortune last night. Vince McMahon was one of the puzzles on the show which Coughlin solved (thanks to Grant Zwarych)
Premier Championship Wrestling returns after 20 months for a show tomorrow night in Lundar, Manitoba. Everyone on the show is fully vaccinated. Only one person quit when the promotion said everyone has to be vaccinated.
Boston Wrestling on 11/13 has a fanfest called back to the 90s in Melrose, MA at Memorial Hall with Bob Backlund, Marty Jannetty, Slick, The Berzerker, Doink Ray Apollo, Duke Droese, Justin Credible, John Cena Sr., Eddie Edwards, JTG, Oscar and Myron Reed.
