Teixeira pounds out Cirkunov in 1st round at UFC Winnipeg
Father Time hasn't come to claim Glover Teixeira just yet.
After getting the worst of his striking exchanges with Misha Cirkunov, the 38-year-old light heavyweight took the action to the mat, flattened Cirkunov out, and rained leather on his dome for a first-round TKO on Saturday at UFC on FOX 26.
Glover Teixeira vs. Misha Cirkunov #UFCWinnipeg pic.twitter.com/eFxQ1cC8rc
— Fancy Combat (@FancyCombat) December 17, 2017
Teixeira rebounded from a fifth-round KO by Alexander Gustafsson in May with his eighth stoppage victory in the Octagon - tying him for third in divisional history - and optimized his postfight mic time with an impassioned callout of reigning light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier, who was calling the action cageside.
Early on, it looked like Teixeira was in for a rough night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Cirkunov mixed up his strikes well and kept the Brazilian on the back foot with a prolific output. But once the pair clinched up against the fence, Teixeira gained double underhooks, wrestled Cirkunov into his world, and swiftly seized control of his back.
The rear-naked choke proved elusive, but Teixeira remained glued to Cirkunov as he tried to scramble out of the precarious position, and poured on the punches until referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in for the save at the 2:45 mark.
Cirkunov - who'd been touted as the new light heavyweight guard just one year ago - has now lost two straight in the Octagon by first-round stoppage, bringing his promotional record to 4-2.