Last night, a 41-year-old Glover Teixeira did what one of the best fighters of all time couldn’t do – finish Thiago Santos. While this argument doesn’t explain the whole narrative, it does make one wonder if defeating Thiago Santos was as difficult as Jon Jones made it look.

The main event of this past weekend’s UFC action could’ve very well been a No. 1 contender fight. A UFC veteran, Glover Teixeira made full use of the opportunity that he had in front of him. He took care of Thiago Santos in a back-and-forth affair. Despite feeling ‘Marreta’s’ power on several occasions, Teixeira managed to outclass him on the ground for the win.

Teixeira’s win will most likely not give him an immediate title shot. However, it does take our minds back to when the same Thiago Santos almost gave Jon Jones the first legitimate loss of his career.

In the fight between Jones and Santos, the latter suffered a ton of injuries in his left leg during the initial rounds of the fight. He still managed to stand and trade with Jones for the full twenty minutes. While Jones himself said that he didn’t want to take Santos down, the outcome of the fight didn’t eventually help ‘Bones’, given that he is perennially in the GOAT conversation.

Glover Teixeira has finished two of the last three fighters Jon Jones went to a decision with

The link between Teixeira’s resurgence doesn’t simply end with his performance over Santos. He also finished Anthony Smith via a knockout, who had gone the distance with Jones just a year ago.

Amidst all this, one has to give Teixeira his due share of the credit. In an age when fighters begin to decline, he has caught a second wind. He has earned the rightful claim for a shot at the title, even though he may not get it immediately.

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On the other hand, Jones may still very well be in his physical prime. Even then, if he had to go the distance with Smith and Santos, then it can be considered a dent on his near-perfect resume. Against Santos, it could be the case that he wanted to prove a point by staying on his feet. However, the sight of him in a wheelchair after the fight didn’t really help his case.

The fact that Jones is one of the modern greats of MMA has a role to play in the whole narrative. Perhaps we hold him to a standard so high that we expect him to not take damage while taking care of the competition.

Regardless, Jones’ future will play a pivotal role in how we look back at his fight with Thiago Santos. If he gets the second belt, the split-decision win will merely be a blip in an otherwise stellar career. On the other hand, if he loses, the critics won’t shy from using the same blip against him.

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