Glover Teixeira says fight against Fabio Maldonado at UFC 153 was stopped too early

Top light heavyweight prospect Glover Teixeira took another big step in his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career last Saturday night (Oct. 13, 2012), when he secured a technical knockout win over Fabio Maldonado on the UFC 153: "Silva vs. Bonnar" pay-per-view (PPV) main card from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

After two rounds of brutality, the cageside physician had seen enough and called a halt to the bout.

Maldonado, naturally, wasn't too keen on the stoppage. But then again, no one wants to have someone else decide whether or not you lose a fight. But surprisingly enough, his opponent echoed those sentiments, telling Globo's SporTV the ending was a bit premature:

"It was a great fight. I knew that Maldonado was a tough guy. I was even surprised it he had fallen there in the beginning of the round, but then I was also surprised he endured so much and continued fighting on the ground. But I knew it would be a tough fight, but he lasted this long. He's a guy I like, who I did not want to hurt either. I did not think the judges should have stopped it, it is difficult to say. I saw that he was hurt, a few times I saw the white of his eyes, but at all times he was fighting back, so he was not stopped."

This pic might prove otherwise.

Maldonado was on wobbly legs several times thougout the fight but never went completely out. In fact, he nearly secured an epic comeback by jaw-jacking a defenseless Teixeira, who waltzed in with his hands down, likely expecting little-to-no resistance.

The counterpunch added a little drama, but the bout was hopelessly one-sided.

How about it, Maniacs, anyone think Teixeira is off his rocker? Or is he simply sticking up for his Brazilian brethren after a gutsy performance in front of a hometown crowd?

See more on their fight here.