The second fight of the UFC 208 main card saw former light heavyweight title challenger Glover Teixeira bounce back from his KO loss to Anthony Johnson by dominating the inexperienced Jared Cannonier on the ground. Teixeira didn’t get the finish, but he repeatedly took Cannonier down and outgrappled the up-and-coming talent from Alaska.
After one minute of striking, Teixeira easily took Cannonier down. Cannonier used his feet and scooted his hips to try and get Glover off of him, but the Brazilian remained in his guard. Teixeira maneuvered his way towards a guillotine attempt, but Cannonier rolled over and averted the danger. Glover still maintained control from top position. Teixeira moved into full mount with 40 seconds left in the round, but hip escaped back to half-guard. Cannonier got back to his feet and unleashed some combination striking that had Glover’s right leg wobbling before time expired.
Cannonier’s suspect takedown defense remained a liability for him, and Teixeira was able to take him down again to start round 2. With Cannonier scooting himself back towards the fence, Teixeira rotated and moved him away momentarily. Teixeira connected on some sharp elbows from guard. Cannonier actually pushed himself away from the fence, and Teixeira tried to trap Cannonier’s right arm and tee off on his face. Inexplicably, referee Kevin MacDonald stood them up. Teixeira ripped Cannonier to the head and body before the round ended.
To the surprise of no one, Teixeira grabbed a leg and took Cannonier down, straight into side control. Teixeira wasn’t demolishing Cannonier from top position, but he was able to move into full mount with about 2:40 left in the fight. Cannonier tried to escape, and did momentarily get to half-guard, but soon found himself mounted again. Teixeira never really threatened to submit Cannonier, and Cannonier’s efforts to get back to his feet were rendered unsuccessful.
Official result: Glover Teixeira def. Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (30-26 x3)