Glover Teixeira and the Real Winners and Losers from UFC on ESPN 17

Lyle FitzsimmonsNov 7, 2020

Need a break from ballot counts, legal fights and concession countdowns?

If so, the UFC was happy to oblige on Saturday night.

The MMA behemoth was back in its Nevada desert bubble, cranking out a 10-bout card broadcast live on ESPN+ from the fan-free Apex facility in Las Vegas.

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Highly ranked light heavyweights Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira main-evented the promotion's second straight event from the U.S. after a five-week stay on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

Blow-by-blow man Jon Anik and analyst Dominick Cruz worked the microphones for the show, which began with prelims at 7 p.m. ET and wrapped up with the 205-pounder finale at 12:45 a.m.

An 11th bout matching middleweights Ian Heinisch and Brendan Allen was scrapped because of a positive COVID-19 test, elevating a scrap between Giga Chikadze and Jamey Simmons to the main card.

The B/R combat sports team was back in its usual weekend position to record all the results and determine the real winners and losers from a fast-paced card.

Take a look at our takeaways, and let us know what you think in the comments section.

Winner: The Light Heavyweight O.G.

It will go in the record book as a third-round finish.

But don't get the impression it was all that easy.

Rather, light heavyweight veteran Teixeira shook off two hellacious shots from No. 1 contender Santos and rallied both times, working an exhausted opponent into position for the rear-naked choke that ended the main event at 1:49 of the third round.

"It's amazing to fight with him," Teixiera said. "He hits like a sledgehammer. He hit me with some good shots, and I was able to recover. And I knew that if I could survive, I could finish him because he was tired. I could tell he was tired."

Indeed, Santos had been grounded and pounded for much of the 10 minutes preceding the decisive round after Teixeira shook off some bombs early in the first and got the fight to the floor. Once there, he dominated with grappling, controlled position for all but snippets of time and had Santos on the verge of a loss with a choke at the end of the second before he was saved by the bell.

It was the fifth consecutive win for the 41-year-old, including four by finish since he dropped a decision to Corey Anderson in July 2018. Santos, meanwhile, was fighting for the first time since dropping a 205-pound title shot to then-champ Jon Jones and suffering a severe knee injury that required surgery and a prolonged recovery.

Still, the UFC recently announced that incumbent light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz would next defend against rising middleweight champion Israel Adesanya rather than the winner of Saturday's main event.

Teixeira entered as the division's No. 3 contender.

"Come on—I'm an old man," he said. "I beat all these young guys. Five in a row. You gonna make me wait? You gonna give the shot to Adesanya? Come on."

The win was his 15th as a UFC light heavyweight, second only to Jones' 20.

"All you can do is say Glover Teixeira is the man," Cruz said. "That's it. He's a clear-cut No. 1 contender right now. Santos just hits him with everything and the kitchen sink. He doesn't care he just keeps going, he keeps trucking until he gets into the position that he wants."

Loser: Tangling with a Pitbull

Canadian heavyweight Tanner Boser was looking to put a winning stamp on 2020.

The big man had won by stoppages in June and July to get on the UFC radar and entered the Octagon with ex-heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski with designs on making a top-15 contender impact.

Didn't happen.

Instead, the Belarusian-American veteran carried what little action existed in a tediously strategic fight, outlasting his younger foe across three rounds to secure a narrow unanimous-decision win.

It was the third win in four fights for Arlovski, who debuted in 1999 and had five UFC title fights—winning three—from 2005 to 2006. He has 19 wins in the UFC, seventh in the promotion's history.

"It's the second fight in a row I've been sticking with the game plan," he said. "I look at guys like Randy Couture, George Foreman and Anderson Silva. I want to prove the old cool guys are still cool."

He landed only 34 strikes to Boser's 68, but 16 of his shots landed to the head, which might have caught the attention of the judges.

"When you're looking at facing an Andrei Arlovski, look at him like a champion," Cruz said. "You have to landslide to beat a champion. He's still in business and he's still competing against the best in the world.

Winner: Pushing the Envelope

Khalid Taha immediately fell to his back with a grimace.

Steps away, rival Raoni Barcelos dropped to his knees and gasped for breath.

Such was the intensity of their three-rounder in the middle bout of the main card, which was taken by Barcelos by unanimous decision.

"The story tonight is Raoni Barcelos," Anik said. "Not a lot of wiggle room at 135, but you've got to wonder if they'll put a number next to his name next week."

The Brazilian didn't enter cage in the top 15 at bantamweight, but he made a legitimate case for a ranking position with the compelling defeat of Taha, who was hit with more than 100 strikes.

Barcelos scored better than 100 strikes in the three rounds, which established a new personal record in UFC. He worked through his repertoire of kicks as well, along with myriad takedown offenses.

"I knew he was a good striker, but I'm ready for anything in the cage," he said. "But I think I'm good enough to get a top-five, top-10 contender."

Winner: Earning a Happy Ending

Though he opened his UFC career with four straight wins by decision, Giga Chikadze was still angling for a stoppage in the Octagon.

And at the exact moment his left foot hit the right side of Jamey Simmons' head, he had it.

The Georgian erased his comparative novice foe in devastating style inside of a single round, drilling him with a body kick followed by the head kick to score a finish at 3:51. It was his fifth victory without a loss in the promotion—and his fourth in 2020 after successful outings in March, May and October.

"When we talk about the fighters who've made the biggest impact in 2020, how about Giga Chikadze?" Anik said. "Compared to where he was a year ago, it's amazing."

Chikadze entered the bout as the card's biggest favorite and held significant advantages in height and reach, which he weaponized with long strikes with both hands and feet.

The decisive sequence came when he landed a noisy kick to the right side of Simmons' body, prompting the UFC newcomer to lower his hands. An instant later he sent another kick up high and immediately flattened Simmons, who was tagged with a ground-strike barrage before referee Herb Dean arrived.

"I've been waiting for this for a long, long time," Chikadze said. "I'm just enjoying this moment. I'm happy to be here."

Winner: A New Way to Finish

It's doubtful that mammoth Moldovan heavyweight Alexandr Romanov caused lasting pain to his corner team during a physical post-fight celebration, but it was still a little strange.

The unbeaten big man won his 13th straight with a first-round submission of fellow giant Marcos Rogerio de Lima and then delivered tosses and takedowns to his happy entourage before the result announcement from Bruce Buffer.

The glee followed a 10th first-round finish, which came by what ESPN's Anik said was likely the first forearm choke ending in UFC history.

"He's a guy who's going to set himself up for a big fight in this heavyweight division," Anik said. "I think Alexandr Romanov answered a lot of questions tonight."

The 6'2", 260-pounder burst from the gate with an immediate takedown pursuit against De Lima, who attempted to stand his ground with upright strikes.

Romanov got him on his back in the center of the cage, however, and then hooked his foe's left arm while pushing his weight across De Lima's throat with his left forearm. De Lima was soon unconscious, and Dean intervened at 4:48 of Round 1.

"We have done great work with our team," Romanov said. "One month, and I'll be ready again."

Winner: Doing Damage

You've got to take some to give some.

And nowhere was that philosophy more visible than Darren Elkins' face.

The 36-year-old featherweight veteran had a bloody gash on his left cheek, a swollen eye that had turned a sickening shade of purple...and a giant smile.

Nicknamed The Damage, Elkins made his 23rd Octagonal appearance a happy one in spite of the pain, shaking off bombs from Eduardo Garagorri long enough to get in position for a rear-naked choke submission at 2:22 of the third round.

"The plan was to be relentless and go for takedown after takedown," said Elkins, who scored seven on 21 attempts and established an all-time UFC record at 145 pounds with 48 in his career. "We thought we'd get a submission and break him. When the rear-naked choke was there, I took it."

The Indiana native was consistently on the short end when the fight was in stand-up mode and took several combinations from Garagorri, who was the sharper and quicker puncher. In fact, the Brazilian tagged Elkins with nearly every shot in a five-punch combination midway through the third, but punctuated the exchange with a left knee strike that his foe was able to turn into the decisive takedown.

Elkins got behind his man and locked in a standing body triangle and then cinched in the choke with his left arm as Garagorri fell to his back and immediately tapped out to get a rescue from referee Chris Tognoni.

"It's good to be back in the win column," Elkins said. "I knew, sooner or later, he'd turn that back."

UFC on ESPN 17 Full Card Results

Main Card

Glover Teixeira def. Thiago Santos by submission (rear-naked choke), 1:49, Round 3.

Andrei Arlovski def. Tanner Boser by unanimous decision (29-28,29-28, 29-28).

Raoni Barcelos def. Khalid Taha by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Giga Chikadze def. Jamey Simmons by KO (kicks), 3:51, Round 1.

Yan Xiaonan def. Claudia Gadelha by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Preliminary Card

Trevin Giles def. Bevon Lewis by KO (punches), 1:26, Round 3.

Alexandr Romanov def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima by submission (forearm choke), 4:48, Round 1.

Darren Elkins def. Eduardo Garagorri by submission (rear-naked choke), 2:22, Round 3.