UFC 267: Blachowicz vs. Teixiera was a very successful event overall, but in the co-main and main events, we received a new Interim Bantamweight Champion and a new Light Heavyweight Champion! Read below for my recap for Petr Yan vs. Cory Sandhagen and Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixiera.
UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship: Petr Yan vs. Cory Sandhagen – Co-Main
The first title fight of the day was for the UFC Interim Bantamweight belt between Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen. The UFC Odds were Petr Yan -210 and Cory Sandhagen +170.
The Interim belt came about since Aljamain Sterling was not medically cleared to compete for this weekend. Yan fell short of the Bantamweight title after landing an illegal knee on Aljamain Sterling. Sandhagen was coming off of a split decision loss against T.J. Dillashaw back in July 2021. So I guess it made sense to have the intertim championship until Aljo is cleared to fight.
This is how the interim belt matchup went…
In the first round, both men were finding their range; Sandhagen led with some low leg licks and kept a high volume to steal the pace from Yan. But Yan kept things simple, still feeling out Sandhagen.
Yan started landing his own leg kicks until Sandhagen aimed for the takedown, only to back Yan up into the fence. They separate, and Yan starts throwing a lot of body kicks – you could see the red marks appearing on Sandhagens body. Towards the end of this round, Yan was finding his range; Sandhagen threw a jumping knee that was blocked by Yan.
The second round came around, and I’m sure many were questioning whether or not Sandhagen could keep up that high pace for the next 4 rounds.
The two exchange kicks again early on; mainly body kicks from Yan. Yan then clipped Sandhagen with a hook which pushed Sandhagen to start chagrin with his combos. Yan missed a spinning back fist, then connected with a left hand and hooks. Sandhagen landed a flying knee towards the end of the round.
The third round started and you could tell Yan had Sandhagen down; his defense was on point. Sandhagen could not land a clean shot and Yan’s counters were picking Sandhagen apart.
Yan landed a heavy spinning back kick and Sandhagen returned to his explosive high volume and feints. Sandhagen was really moving around, light on his feet. Yan lands another spinning back fist into a hook that dropped Sandhagen. Yan was now on top, laying down shots until Sandhagen stood up right before the round ended.
In the fourth round, all the momentum has shifted. Yan was very confident and hunted down Sandhagen with his hands. Sandhagen threw a weak jumping knee and missed. Yan was walking through anything Sandhagen had to offer. Sandman was still working his angles, trying to get as many strikes out as possible, but you could see the damage building up on his face. Towards the end of this round, Sandhagen landed big elbows, and Yan was cracking strikes back. They enter the clinch, the break to end the round with combos from Yan.
Finally, the fifth round, and at this point, I thought the fight was either 50/50 or all Yan. Yan started this last round looking fresh, and Sandhagen was still hanging in there despite this being a short-notice fight for him.
The two lowered their pace in the beginning of this round. Sandhagen threw a jumping knee, but missed again. Sandhagen was moving around well, and Yan was reading him to find his opening. Yan shot for a takedown, but Sandhagen stuffed it. Yan then started landing head kicks, and Sandhagen is eating them! This round wasn’t as active as the previous rounds, but it was an anticlimactic round.
Petr Yan won the UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship.
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira – Main Event
In the main event, we had the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship with Jan Blachowicz defending his title against Glover Teixeira. The UFC Odds at your top sportsbooks were: Jan Blachowicz -290 and Glover Teixiera +230.
In the first round, both men came out in an orthodox stance; Jan landed the first strike with a low leg kick. Jan was on the outside while Teixiera moved forward. Teixiera then backs Jan up to the fence and lands a takedown. Teixiera was comfortable in guard, laying down strikes, while Jane was also comfortable in his closed guard. Glover then transitioned to put all of his weight on Jan and landed some deep elbows. This was all Teixiera’s round.
The second round came about and it was clear that Jan could not let Glover take him down again. Jan was throwing some jabs, but Glover was pushing forward to get Jan’s back along the fence again. Glover aimed for the takedown but Jan was able to defend and counter with a nice combo. But Jan was still getting backed up into the fence.
Glove aimed for another double, but Jan, again, defended. Glover tried another time, and Jan stuffed it. Glover switched it up and landed a clean uppercut that wobbled Jan. Jan moved away and cracks Glover, but Glover came back with his own combo and is now on top! He flattened out Jan and slipped the arm under his neck until the tap! Glover Teixieria defeated Jan Blachowicz by submission, claiming himself the undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
Closing Remarks and What’s Next?
Petr Yan put up a wonderful fight against the Sandman and showed that he is a true champion. Glover Teixiera showed us, never give up and fight for your goal – literally. Congrats to both of the new title holders.
Of all the dog winners on this card, we had a total of two! Michal Oleksiejczuk (+100) and Glover Teixiera (+230).
Up next in the UFC is another beautifully stacked card in UFC 268: Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2. There will be another two title bouts; the co-main will consist of the rematch between Rose Namajunas and Weili Zhang. Rose will be defending her title against Zhang; do we think Thug Rose will get another KO? The main event will between the reigning champ, Kamaru Usman against Colby Covington.
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