UFC Fight Night 28: "Teixeira vs. Bader," which took place at the Mineirinho Arena in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, is officially in the books after an entertaining Wednesday evening (Sept. 4, 2013) of mixed martial arts (MMA) action on the main card broadcast via FOX Sports 1.
See our full results and live play-by-play here.
Glover Teixeira was moments away from being stopped by Ryan Bader -- until he roared back and finished "Darth."
Bader rocked the Brazilian but could not capitalize, then ate a slick combo as Teixeira counter-attacked and knocked out the American en route to a title shot. Teixeira will now face the winner of Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, who fight at UFC 165, and leaves Brazil undefeated in his past 20 fights.
Former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo Souza made quick work of the always-durable Yushin Okami, sending "Thunder" packing early with a first-round technical knockout win. Souza's extremely dangerous jiu-jitsu was nowhere to be seen as he only needed his fists to dispose of Okami, getting his second UFC stoppage in a row with only two fights in the promotion.
Joseph Benavidez looked like the next man to challenge for flyweight gold after beating Jussier Formiga in dominant fashion, crushing him with a body shot followed by punches.
Before all the action unfolded inside the Octagon, there were promotional appearances to generate awareness for -- an interest in -- a trip back to Brazil for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Fighters said this and that, answering questions galore when all they really wanted to do is be left alone and not be bothered.
MMAmania.com does a pretty good job of passing along all the noteworthy pre- and post-fight comments for each event. But, as we've done before, let us take a look back at the words that left the fighters' mouths before they stepped into the cage on Wednesday night.
"I will climb one step at a time. I've been fighting and it's been working out. This is the road to the belt. Whatever it costs I will chase after it. I feel great, I'm going to bring the knockout. "
--Glover Teixeira does not have to climb any more. He gets the title shot he has been clamoring for as he waits for the winner of Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. Will he be ready for it? He did promise a knockout and deliver, so it's not like he is unworthy of the fight.
"I love to be in this position to have everybody counting me out. Everybody will be real surprised at the end of the night when I go out there and get the win, and it just makes it a little bit sweeter. I think the hype is justified coming in, being undefeated and going on an 18-fight win streak. He hasn't fought the same caliber of guys that I have."
--You cannot help but feel bad for Ryan Bader since he was relishing the role of the underdog quite well. Sadly for him, Teixeira's hype was justifiable -- with a few wins to work on, of course. Not sure how everyone felt when Bader did not get the win; however, he definitely felt the sting more so than anyone else.
"I'm going to win and win well. My focus is to annihilate my opponent and getting in there and having a great fight. I think I will frustrate him in all areas and if he makes a mistake, I will submit him. Something cool will happen in this fight."
--Ronaldo Souza could not be more accurate in his pre-fight assessment, detailing how the fight would go with Yushin Okami. "Jacare" did not even have time to frustrate "Thunder" in all areas -- he just needed a few punches to do so, which came off as uncharacteristic from the jiu-jitsu ace. Souza now looks like the man to beat at 185 pounds.
"By beating Jacare I'm going to be given that kind of right, but it's not only important to win, but how I win the fight. Always, I'm going to fight whoever the UFC wants me to fight. I'm going to utilize all of my MMA techniques and I'm going to wear him down and I'm going to smash him."
--Unfortunately for Yushin Okami, it was "Jacare" who did the smashing. Okami did not have enough time to utilize his techniques and quite frankly, we did not see much from him in this fight. "Thunder" now goes back to the drawing board though he has maintained a good resume in the UFC.
"I think, regardless, it's not something I'm going to ask for. It's something that, if I deserve it, then I'll get it. I'd definitely be willing to take it. It was like, if they want me to, I literally won't take it. It's too soon; I'm still improving as a fighter. I would just be rushing things; I'd make the same mistakes I did at 135."
--That was Joseph Benavidez talking about a title shot and how he is not really going to ask for it. Be careful what you don't wish for, sometimes, because that title shot may come knocking. After disposing of Jussier Da Silva, it seems like the only viable option for the "Joe Jitsu" practitioner.
There you have it.
For our complete UFC Fight Night 28: "Teixeira vs. Bader" live story stream, click here.