Introduction
UFC Fight Night 28: Teixeira vs. Bader took place on Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at the Mineirinho Arena in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil — broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 to 539,000 average viewers. The event was a crucial step in Glover Teixeira’s meteoric career trajectory. A 34-year-old Brazilian who had spent years fighting outside the major promotions, Teixeira had gone on a 20-fight winning streak that placed him in the UFC light heavyweight title picture. His KO of Ryan Bader that evening was his twentieth consecutive win — a milestone that earned him the title shot he had been building toward.
The card featured Ronaldo ‘Jacaré’ Souza — one of the most accomplished submission grapplers in the sport — submitting Yushin Okami in the co-main event at middleweight. Joseph Benavidez defeated Jussier Formiga in a flyweight bout. The event was held on Brazilian soil, giving Teixeira an enthusiastic home crowd for what proved to be one of the most meaningful wins of his career.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Wednesday, September 4, 2013
📍 Venue: Mineirinho Arena, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
👥 Attendance: 5,126
📺 Broadcast: Fox Sports 1 — 539,000 avg. viewers
🏆 Main Event: Glover Teixeira vs. Ryan Bader — Light Heavyweight
✅ Result: Teixeira def. Bader via KO (punches) — R1 (20th consecutive win; earned LHW title shot)
The Build-Up
Glover Teixeira’s story is one of delayed ascension. Born in Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil, he had spent most of his professional career fighting on regional circuits, with brief stints on larger platforms interrupted by relocation and personal challenges. By the time he joined the UFC in 2012 at age 32, he had already won 19 consecutive fights. His UFC debut was against Kyle Kingsbury, whom he finished quickly. His next three UFC fights were all finishes. Entering the Bader fight, he was 20-0 in his professional career with 20 finishes.
Ryan Bader was a legitimate top-ten light heavyweight and former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler. He had challenged Jon Jones for the LHW title at UFC 126 and, despite the loss, remained a credible gate-check for any contender. A win over Bader in Belo Horizonte would be Teixeira’s most significant result to date.
Main Event: Teixeira vs. Bader
Teixeira landed his power left hand early in round one and Bader went down. He followed with ground punches before the referee called it off. The finish was rapid and emphatic — exactly the kind of performance that demanded a title shot. The Belo Horizonte crowd erupted. The result moved Teixeira to 21-0 (following the win) and cemented his position as the number-one light heavyweight contender for Jon Jones’ title.
Full Results
Main Card (Fox Sports 1)
Glover Teixeira def. Ryan Bader — KO (punches) — R1 — Light Heavyweight (20th straight win; earned Jon Jones title shot; Performance bonus)
Ronaldo ‘Jacaré’ Souza def. Yushin Okami — Submission — Middleweight
Joseph Benavidez def. Jussier Formiga — Flyweight
Piotr Hallmann def. Francisco Trinaldo — Lightweight (Fight of the Night)
Rafael Natal vs. Tor Trøeng — Middleweight (Fight of the Night; $50,000 each)
Preliminary Card
Ali Bagautinov def. Marcos Vinicius — Flyweight
Edimilson Souza def. Felipe Arantes — Featherweight
Lucas Martins def. Ramiro Hernandez — Featherweight
Elias Silvério def. João Zeferino — Welterweight (Silvério replaced injured Kenny Robertson; both UFC debuts)
Ivan Jorge def. Keith Wisniewski — Welterweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Piotr Hallmann vs. Francisco Trinaldo — $50,000 (Hallmann)
🥇 Fight of the Night: Rafael Natal vs. Tor Trøeng — $50,000 each
🥇 Performance Bonus: Glover Teixeira — $50,000 for the KO of Bader
Records & Milestones
• Glover Teixeira’s 20th consecutive win — earning him the Jon Jones LHW title shot at UFC 172.
• First UFC event at Mineirinho Arena, Belo Horizonte — a mid-sized Brazilian venue giving Teixeira a Brazilian crowd for his title-contention milestone.
Legacy & Impact
The Bader KO secured Teixeira’s shot at Jon Jones. He fought Jones at UFC 172 in April 2014, losing by unanimous decision in a fight that showed Jones’ elite-level distance management and counter-wrestling to be a ceiling too high for Teixeira at that point in his career. He would eventually win the UFC light heavyweight championship at UFC 267 in October 2021 at age 41 — defeating Jan Błachowicz with a rear-naked choke in round two. The Bader win at Fight Night 28 was the first title-shot earn in that long career arc.
FAQ
How had Glover Teixeira built his 20-fight winning streak?
Teixeira had trained at Chute Boxe and later with Freddie Roach and the team at Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles. His professional career started in 2002 and included wins on regional Brazilian circuits, smaller US shows, and eventually Strikeforce, where he had beaten several credible opponents. The UFC signed him in 2012 after recognising the depth of his 19-fight win streak. His four UFC fights before Bader were all finishes. He entered Fight Night 28 with 20 professional wins, all by stoppage.
Why was Ronaldo ‘Jacaré’ Souza significant on this card?
Ronaldo ‘Jacaré’ Souza arrived in the UFC in 2013 as one of the most decorated submission grapplers in the history of the sport — a five-time World Jiu-Jitsu Championship gold medallist and former Strikeforce middleweight champion. His UFC debut had been a dominant performance, and his win over Yushin Okami at Fight Night 28 continued the run that made him the most feared submission practitioner in the middleweight division through the 2013–2019 period. On Brazilian soil against a Japanese opponent, Jacaré was fighting in optimal conditions for his grappling-dominant style.
What was the Jon Jones title fight that Teixeira earned from this win?
Teixeira vs. Jon Jones took place at UFC 172 on April 26, 2014, at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Jones dominated via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 50-44). Jones’ reach advantage, footwork, and unorthodox striking kept Teixeira from landing his dangerous left hand consistently. The fight ended Teixeira’s first title challenge — but not his career.
Who was Ryan Bader at this point in his career?
Bader was a TUF Season 8 winner and former UFC light heavyweight title challenger (UFC 126, January 2011, lost to Jones). After the Jones loss he had gone 3-0, regaining his position as a top-five LHW. His 7-0 UFC start had stalled after the Jones fight, but he remained a legitimate measuring stick at the top of the division. The Teixeira KO ended Bader’s UFC career at light heavyweight; he moved to heavyweight and later became both the UFC LHW and Bellator HW champion.
How did Teixeira eventually win the UFC light heavyweight title?
After losing to Jones at UFC 172 and going through a mixed run through 2014–2019, Teixeira found a second career peak in his late 30s and early 40s. He won five consecutive fights from 2019 to 2021 and earned a title shot against Jan Błachowicz at UFC 267 in October 2021. At age 41, he submitted Błachowicz with a rear-naked choke in round two to become the UFC light heavyweight champion — one of the oldest UFC champions in history.
Why did Fight Night 28 have only 539,000 viewers despite being on FS1?
Fox Sports 1 had only launched eighteen days before Fight Night 28. The channel was still building distribution and audience awareness, and many cable and satellite subscribers had not yet located it on their packages. Additionally, Fight Night 28 aired on a Wednesday at an unusual time due to the Brazilian time-zone scheduling — the main card started at 12:30 PM ET, which significantly suppressed the US live audience. Cards with early start times consistently drew lower ratings regardless of quality, and the 539,000 figure reflected both the FS1 early-adoption issue and the noon ET slot rather than a lack of fan interest in the fighters.