Jamahal Hill Retires Glover Teixeira, Claims Light Heavyweight Crown at UFC 283

Jamahal Hill showed his quality and then some.

“Sweet Dreams” captured the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title, as he punished Glover Teixeira to a clear-cut unanimous decision in the UFC 283 headliner on Saturday at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Hill (12-1, 6-1 UFC), the first Dana White’s Contender Series graduate to strike UFC gold, swept the scorecards with 50-44 nods from all three cageside judges.

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Teixeira (33-9, 16-7 UFC) absorbed a horrific amount of punishment. Hill shredded the Brazilian’s face with punches, elbows and knees, opening cuts near both eyes and spilling blood all over the Octagon. He scrambled Teixeira’s circuits with head kicks on more than one occasion, switched stances to great effect and kept the John Hackleman protégé at bay with a potent jab. Hill nearly finished it in the third round and again in the fourth, but his Brazilian counterpart refused to go away under the direst circumstances. Teixeira offered a brief glimmer of hope for his supporters early in Round 5, where he executed a takedown and climbed to full mount. However, Hill escaped out the back door and relied on his jab, superior athleticism and lateral movement to avoid any further issues.

Afterward, Teixeira announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Moreno Unifies Flyweight Crown

Brandon Moreno unified the flyweight championship, closed the book on his historic tetralogy with Deiveson Figueiredo and forced a doctor stoppage in between the third and fourth rounds of their co-main event. The result gives Moreno a 2-1-1 advantage in their head-to-head series, which kicked off with a majority draw two-plus years ago.

The rivals traded takedowns, initiated scrambles and exchanged on the feet across the first 10 minutes. Figueiredo (21-3-1, 10-3-1 UFC) threatened with a heel hook in the first round and a guillotine choke in the second, offsetting some of his deficits in other areas. Everything changed when Moreno (21-6-2, 9-3-2 UFC) connected with a left hook in Round 3. The impact drew an immediate reaction out of Figueiredo, resulted in a cut on his cheek and eventually led to his right eye swelling shut. The cageside physician examined him between rounds and advised referee Herb Dean to call for the stoppage.

Moreno, 29, now carries the 125-pound weight class forward, with a rematch against Alexandre Pantoja—a man who outpointed him to a unanimous decision in 2018—likely on deck.

Burns Arm-Triangle Subdues Magny

Kill Cliff Fight Club export Gilbert Burns rebounded from his April 9 decision defeat to Khamzat Chimaev, as he dispatched “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 16 semifinalist Neil Magny with an arm-triangle choke in the first round of their welterweight feature. Magny (27-10, 20-9 UFC) bowed out 4:15 into Round 1.

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The 36-year-old Burns (21-5, 14-5 UFC) followed a jab with a body-lock takedown and let his sensational grappling skills do the rest. The 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships bronze medalist moved from half guard to side control to full mount in a matter of minutes. Once there, he framed the arm-triangle, cleared his legs and left Magny no choice but to tap.

Burns has won eight of his past 10 bouts.

Ferocious Andrade Routs Murphy

Crushing leg kicks, vicious punching combinations and airtight takedown defense carried Parana Vale Tudo’s Jessica Andrade to a woefully one-sided unanimous decision over former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Lauren Murphy in a three-round women’s flyweight showcase. All three cageside judges scored it for Andrade (24-9, 15-7 UFC): 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26.

Murphy (16-6, 8-6 UFC) was no match for the Brazilian. Andrade slammed more than 40 kicks into her lead leg and teed off with power punches to the head, the scene growing increasingly uncomfortable as time ticked away. Murphy continued to absorb punishment without offering much in return. The left hook was the most lethal of the Andrade weapons, and it found its intended target repeatedly.

Andrade has rattled off three straight victories since her UFC 261 loss to Valentina Shevchenko.

Resourceful Walker Smashes Craig

Johnny Walker put away former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion Paul Craig with punches in the first round of their light heavyweight attraction. Walker (20-7, 6-4 UFC) drew the curtain 2:16 into Round 1, winning for the second time in as many outings.

Craig (16-6-1, 8-6-1 UFC) caught a front kick from the Brazilian but lingered for too long in open space. Walker cracked him with a wicked right hand while still on one leg and continued to fire punches at the Scotsman. Craig eventually collapsed to his knees as he clung to his counterpart’s ankle and was met with a series of slashing reverse hammerfists that left Goddard no choice but to intervene.

The 35-year-old Craig has suffered back-to-back defeats for just the second time in his career.

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