Glover Teixeira proved he’s still got plenty of fight left in him as the former UFC champion dished out a whole lot of punishment to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua across eight rounds to win a decision in their main event boxing match at Spaten Fight Night 3 on Saturday.
While Teixeira did score an early knockdown, Rua kept finding ways to survive, although he was absorbing a whole lot of damage during the fight. Teixeira hammered him with combinations throughout the fight and Rua’s most effective shots were haymakers he threw in response.
When it was over, Teixeira didn’t get the knockout but he won a clear-cut decision as he picks up a win over a fellow legend in MMA.
Teixiera was aggressive from the start as he trapped “Shogun” against the ropes and just continuously unloaded punches. Several stiff shots to the body landed clean with “Shogun” firing back but not really connecting with anything truly effective.
With time running out in the first round, Teixeira uncorked a perfectly timed punch that popped Rua directly in the jaw and seemingly wobbled him briefly just as the bell rang.
Teixeira scored a knockdown with a barrage of punches that had “Shogun” stumbling backwards before eventually just falling to the canvas. Rua made the 10 count and he was able to continue as the round ended to give him a one-minute break to recover.
Teixiera continued his assault at every turn, pushing Rua against the ropes and just blasting away with punches. “Shogun” fired back when he could but he was absorbing a lot of punishment, but to his credit he wasn’t fading away.
The problem was when “Shogun” landed any of his punches, Teixiera barely blinked and he just kept coming back with stiff, effective combinations. Teixeira chipped away with body shots and then went back up top to batter Rua to the head.
By the fifth round, Teixeira appeared to be slowing down and that finally allowed Rua to connect with some of his best punches. Teixeira did manage to get a second wind by the sixth and he finally established a stiff jab that kept popping Rua’s head backwards in virtually every exchange.
With the seventh round coming to an end, Teixeira charged forward and blasted Rua with several hard shots in succession and it appeared “Shogun” might be near his end. Teixeira kept hammering away but time ran out before he could potentially land the knockout blow.
Teixeira was just chewing up “Shogun” with his combinations and he kept looking for the finish but Rua found a way to survive to the final bell.
While it was clear that both fighters were much longer in the tooth, Teixeira and Rua put on an entertaining bout for eight rounds. Teixeira has already said he would gladly compete again and judging by his performance, he can definitely still throw down. As for Rua, this was teased as his retirement fight and given how much damage he absorbed across eight rounds, hanging up the gloves is probably the best move for him at this stage of his legendary career.
