It wasn't the way people expected, but Tallison Teixiera managed to defeat Tai Tuivasa in the Australian's return to the Octagon at UFC 325.
Tuivasa tried to bring pressure straight away, but he was taken down by Teixeira. Teixeira landed a number of punches and elbows to the head of Teixeira, defending against Tuivasa's attempts to get back to his feet. Teixeira made his way into full mount, keeping Tuivasa there for minutes, but Tuivasa made his way back to the feet and pressing Teixeira into the fence to end the round.
After some leg kick trading in the second round, Tuivasa landed a strong right hand that caught Teixeira's attention. Teixeira responded with a combination and going for a takedown. Teixeira, after some struggle, worked his way into full mount, but he did no damage for a full minute-plus.
The third round saw both men fatigued, with Tuivasa landing some strong strikes and controlling the action on the ground. Neither man was able to get a finish, however, and Teixeira took the decision win with three 29-28 totals.
Tallison Teixeira Gets Decision Win Over Tai Tuivasa At UFC 325
Teixeira moves to 2-1 in the UFC since winning a contract on Dana White's Contender Series. He rebounds from a loss to Derrick Lewis at UFC Nashville this past July.
Tuivasa has now lost six fights in a row. This was his first fight since a split decision loss to Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 304. His last win came against Lewis at UFC 271.