The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida tonight for UFC on FOX 19: “Teixeira vs Evans.” Following a number of late changes, the event was headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Glover Teixeira and former UFC champion “Suga” Rashad Evans.
In tonight’s co-main event, former Invicta FC rivals “Thug” Rose Namajunas and Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres faced off in a strawweight rematch. Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov met late replacement Darrell “The Saint” Horcher at 160. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Glover Teixeira vs “Suga” Rashad Evans
Round 1:
Teixeira closed the distance in the opening minute and landed two right hands. He followed with another one and Evans replied with a jab. Teixeira dropped Evans with a left hook and followed with a right hand that knocked him unconscious.
Winner: Glover Teixeira by KO (Punches) at 1:48 of round one. He improves to 25-4-0.
“Thug” Rose Namajunas vs Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres
Round 1:
Namajunas jabbed early on and Torres threw quick one-twos in close. She followed with a leg kick and fought off a takedown attempt. Torres caught a body kick and unloaded with a big flurry of punches. She scored with a hard leg kick and a right hand that led to a brief clinch. Namajunas secured a Thai clinch and threw a knee, but Torres rocked her with punches over the top. Namajunas tripped her and punched from the top before the bell. 10-9 Torres.
Round 2:
Torres backed Namajunas up with a punch-kick combination early in round two, but Namajunas answered back with punches of her own. Torres finished a combination with a body kick and ate a hard right hand in return. Namajunas scored with two left hooks that knocked Torres off-balance. She followed with a front kick to the body. Namajunas slipped while throwing a jumping kick, but she returned to her feet and both women landed in an exchange. Torres stuffed a takedown and she mixed up her strikes again with punches and body kicks. Another flurry landed for Torres, but Namajunas backed her up with lead left hooks late in the close round. 10-9 Namajunas.
Round 3:
The final round began with Torres landing kicks to Namajunas’s lead leg. Namajunas jabbed and looked to set up right hands. Torres continued to score with leg kicks and she followed with a quick flurry that partially landed. Two short right hands landed for Torres and she avoided a flying knee attempt. Namajunas shot in for a takedown and Torres initially reversed it, but Namajunas managed to power her down to the mat. Torres kicked her off and time expired. Close round. 10-9 Torres.
Winner: Rose Namajunas by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 5-2-0.
Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov vs Darrell “The Saint” Horcher
Round 1:
Single punches were exchanged in the opening minute and Horcher landed quick left hands. Nurmagomedov answered with straight rights, but Horcher continued to score with left crosses until Nurmagomedov slammed him down to the mat. Nurmagomedov moved to side control and dropped elbows that opened a cut on the side of Horcher’s head. He took Horcher’s back and teed off with punches before the bell. 10-8 Nurmagomedov.
Round 2:
Nurmagomedov scored a takedown into side control early in round two. He landed some big shots and trapped Horcher in a top-side crucifix. Nurmagomedov unloaded with punches again and took Horcher’s back. He fired off punch after punch until the fight was finally stopped.
Winner: Khabib Nurmagomedov by TKO (Punches) at 3:38 of round two. He improves to 23-0-0.
Cub Swanson vs Hacran “Barnabe” Dias
Round 1:
Dias opened the action with leg kicks and right hands in the first round. He followed with a one-two that caused Swanson’s left eye to swell up. Swanson kicked to the body, but Dias quickly replied with another chopping leg kick. He flurried with punches and Swanson circled away. More punches and a leg kick landed for Dias, and Swanson missed with a spinning hook kick. 10-9 Dias.
Round 2:
Swanson dropped Dias with a left hook in round two and he swarmed on him with ground and pound. Dias held on and bought time to recover. He battled back to his feet and walked forward with one-twos. Both men landed left hooks and Dias mixed in stiff jabs. Two right hooks scored for Dias, but Swanson tripped him and the fighters traded punches on the way up. Swanson jabbed and the round ended in a clinch. 10-9 Swanson.
Round 3:
The final round began with an exchange of leg kicks and lead hooks. Dias connected with a one-two and Swanson fired back with right hands. A big right hook landed for Dias, but Swanson dropped him with a head kick. He stood over Dias and dropped punches. Dias recovered and both men looked to set up armbars. Swanson stood up again and he landed a hard punch to the body. More punches scored for Swanson, but Dias made it to the bell. 10-9 Swanson, if not a 10-8.
Winner: Cub Swanson by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 22-7-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)