UFC 283 is now in the past. A Mexican and an American walked into Brazil as challengers. The Mexican and American walked out of Brazil as Undisputed Champions. As we know Brandon Moreno defeated Deiveson "The God of War" Figueiredo in the final fight of their tetralogy. Moreno put on a striking clinic against Figgy. It didn't matter to Brandon that he was fighting an away fight, he knew he was on a mission to become the undisputed champion. The strike that pretty much ended it all was a heavy left hand where Moreno's side of his thumb slammed right into Figueiredo's eye closing it completely shut. The referee, Herb Dean, decided that with one eye it would be far too dangerous for Figgy to continue. Due to this outcome, some fans want a fifth fight, however, Figgy has plans to move up to the Bantamweight Division. It was a shame though because it should have been a beautiful moment for Moreno and his family, but on Moreno's way back to the locker room the crowd began to throw their food and drinks at the new champ. It's disgusting to witness that kind of behavior in 2023, I feel like we're better than this as a society.
As for the Main Event, it was an absolute slobber-knocker. The Light Heavyweight was vacant before this fight. Both men, Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill knew exactly what they had to do. You could tell from the moment each man walked out. Jamahal "Sweet Dreams" Hill walked out to In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins. Glover, excited to fight in front of his home crowd in the "jungle," walked out to Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N Roses. However, watching the fight you can feel the lyrics of In The Air Tonight come to life. Jamahal has been waiting for this moment for his life. Watching Jamahal absoulutely pound Glover, the way he was timing his kicks, and most impressively his ground defense was fantastic. You could tell Jamahal earning his title was in the air on Saturday Night in Rio. Seeing Jamahal's post-fight reaction was a special moment as well. Seeing a man of that stature, as powerful as he is, cry as they wrapped the belt around his waist made everyone feel his dreams come true. The sight reminded me of Michael Jordan crying on the floor with the Larry O'Brien trophy after his first NBA Finals. It was just an emotional special moment. Could not be happier for Jamahal Hill. He had to go to Brazil and defeat Glover Teixeira in his home country to win the Light Heavyweight Title and he did it! Also, respect to Glover for telling the crowd to respect Jamahal Hill on his way out after they disgracefully disrespected Brandon Moreno. Whether Jamahal returns to the octagon to defend his belt against Magomed Ankalaev or Jiri Prochazka it is going to be an unbelievable fight and here at Opinion Octagon, we are looking forward to it!
Glover might not have won the fight, but he won our hearts like always. UFC 283 against Jamahal Hill was Glover Teixeira's last fight after more than twenty years as a mixed martial artist. Glover fought in the UFC since 2012. He quickly went on a five-fight win streak, including a win over Rampage Jackson. Glover's sixth fight in the UFC was a Light Heavyweight Title opportunity against Jon Jones in 2014. Glover lost in a unanimous decision, like always he showed a tremendous amount of resilience. It took Glover nine long years to get another title shot. In between title shots, Glover grabbed wins over a handful of notable names like OSP, Rashad Evans, Jared Cannonier, Anthony Smith, and Thiago Santos. Glover submitted Jan Blachowicz to earn his first-ever UFC Championship. Glover became the oldest champion ever at the age of 42. Glover's last two fights were two of the best fights of the last three to five years. When Glover fought Jiri he would have won the fight had he held on for just forty more seconds. This led Glover to want a rematch which he was granted. We don't need to go over the drama of UFC 282 for the thousandth time, but as we know the rematch was unable to happen, and Glover fought Jamahal Hill for the title this past Saturday in his home nation Brazil. That alone made Saturday super special for Teixeira fans. Unfortunately, Glover kind of got his ass kicked for five rounds, but the heart and resilience shown by a 43-year-old to stay on his feet and still go for takedowns and ultimately not get finished was truly inspiring. Glover left it all out there in the Octagon and I'm glad he got to fight in front of his home crowd. Glover is truly a stand-up guy, the way he told the crowd to not throw stuff at the new champion and not to ruin the moment. Glover also said he's still going to coach Middleweight Champion, Alex Pereira. We can't wait to see those two conquer the rest of the Middleweight Division. Thank you, Glover! You have given so much to the sport and continue to do so! We hope you enjoy your post-fight life!
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