You regularly see fighters trash-talking one another inside the Octagon but Glover Teixeira had a very different approach last night when he apologised to opponent Anthony Smith for the punishment he was inflicting on him.
While the Brazilian had Smith mounted on the canvas in their UFC Fight Night main event in Jacksonville, he said sorry and that it was "part of the job".
And Smith, despite being worn down and dominated, agreed with his fellow light heavyweight after initially not hearing him. "Yeah, it is what it is," he replied.
Just moments prior to this exchange, Smith handed his teeth over to the referee after they fell out.
Smith would eventually lose via TKO in the fifth and final round after taking some serious punishment, though he was immediately embraced by Texeira when the stoppage was signalled by the referee.
'Lionheart' holds the 40-year old in high esteem after what he did for him following a defeat in Brazil that saw him released from UFC in 2013.
Advert
Ariel Helwani revealed the story of how Smith was lost following his contract being terminated by UFC and Glover went out of his way to help him in the airport.
It will have been hard for Glover to have had to inflict so much punishment on Smith last night, but then again they both agreed it's just part of the job.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: UFC News, MMA News, Anthony Smith, UFC, UFC Fight Night
