There was a changing of the guard in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, as Czech finisher Jiri Prochazka submitted Glover Teixeira in the final round to capture the undisputed 205-pound title at UFC 275.
Prochazka and Teixeira faced off in the main event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday night. And, after a back-and-forth battle that pushed both men to the limit, it was Prochazka who found the extra gear needed to claim the stoppage win and the title.
The dramatic finish came in the final 30 seconds of the bout, as Prochazka locked up a rear-naked choke on an exhausted Teixeira to claim victory in the closing moments of the fight.
Prochazka’s victory continued the Czech’s incredible penchant for finishing fights, with the submission of Teixeira his 28th finish from 29 professional victories.
Shevchenko extends title reign
In the co-main event, reigning UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko retained her title with a decision win over Brazilian challenger Taila Santos, but the win came much harder than many anticipated.
Santos gave as good as she got over the five-round duration to split the judges at the fight’s conclusion. One judge awarded Santos the bout, 48-47, but the other two both scored the fight in favour of Shevchenko, who retained her title via split decision with winning cards of 48-47 and 49-46.
Jedrzejczyk retires after KO defeat
There was a spectacular conclusion to the eagerly-anticipated rematch between former strawweight champions Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, as the Chinese contender stunned Jedrzejczyk with a spinning backfist KO midway through the second round of their main card clash.
Following the jaw-dropping finish to the fight, Jedrzejczyk took off her gloves and placed them down on the canvas – the traditional gesture of a fighter announcing her retirement – then paid tribute to her team in her post-fight interview before confirming her decision to walk away from active competition.
Matthews shows continued improvement
Australian welterweight Jake Matthews continued his evolution as a fighter with a superb performance to defeat Andre Fialho in their main card matchup.
Matthews pieced up Fialho with some slick, sharp striking as he finished his man midway through the second round to claim the 18th win of his career and bounce back from his 2021 defeat to Sean Brady.
Della Maddalena delivers come-from-behind win
The opening main card bout of the night saw Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena claim his 12th straight win with a superb come-from-behind victory over Russia’s Ramazan Emeev.
Things looked bleak for Della Maddalena when Emeev locked up a tight anaconda choke and dragged his man to the canvas.
But Della Maddalena fought hard to escape the predicament and eventually managed to free himself, before finishing Emeev with strikes moments later.
UFC 275: Official Results
MAIN CARD
- Jiri Prochazka def. Glover Teixeira via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 5, 4:32 – for light heavyweight title
- Valentina Shevchenko def. Taila Santos via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46) – for women’s flyweight title
- Zhang Weili def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk via knockout (spinning backfist) – Round 2, 2:28
- Jake Matthews def. Andre Fialho via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 2:24
- Jack Della Maddalena def. Ramazan Emeev via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:32
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Joshua Culibao def. Seung Woo Choi via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Hayisaer Maheshate def. Steve Garcia via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:14
- Brendan Allen def. Jacob Malkoun via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Kang Kyung-Ho def. Danaa Batgerel via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
EARLY PRELIMS
- Silvana Gomez Juarez def. Liang Na via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:22
- Joselyne Edwards def. Ramona Pascual via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
