Teixeira smothers Cannonier to win unanimous decision

Glover Teixeira took the path of least resistance to get back in the win column.

The 37-year-old rode his Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills to a lopsided unanimous decision over fellow light heavyweight Jared Cannonier at UFC 208 in Brooklyn on Saturday. Teixeira took "The Killa Gorilla" down at will and kept the prospect pinned to the canvas from a variety of dominant positions to atone for the 13-second knockout he suffered at Anthony Johnson's hands in his last outing.

Despite owning a pair of sledgehammers for fists, the third-ranked Teixeira fought with tremendous respect for Cannonier's knockout power, taking the relative neophyte down in short order. The Brazilian flaunted his jiu-jitsu acumen from there, nearly finishing Cannonier with an arm-in guillotine choke midway through the opening frame.

The 32-year-old Cannonier flashed some slick submission defense in his escape, and momentarily turned the tables when he rocked Teixeira with a flurry in the round's dying seconds.

The brief onslaught proved to be the extent of Cannonier's offense, as Teixeira effortlessly put him on his back and continued to school him on the mat in Rounds 2 and 3. The veteran scored points with some trusty ground-and-pound and reminded fight fans he was more than a knockout artist by mounting Cannonier with ease on two separate occasions in the final frame.

A former heavyweight, Cannonier sees his UFC record drop to 2-2 and a two-fight win streak snapped with his first defeat at 205 pounds.