It’s been more than six years since Glover
Teixeira last challenged for UFC light heavyweight gold, but
the Brazilian veteran is knocking on the door for another title
shot in what should be the twilight of his career.
The 41-year-old Teixeira won his fifth straight fight in the UFC on
ESPN 17 headliner, submitting Thiago
Santos with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their
clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Making the
victory even more impressive was the fact that Teixeira finished
the man who battled pound-for-pound superstar Jon Jones to a
split decision at UFC 239 in 2019.
After his victory, Teixeira pleaded for another chance to claim UFC
gold.
“I want that belt, man. It’s a dream,” Teixeira said on the ESPN+
post-fight show. “I live a simple life. I don’t fight for the
money, I fight for the belt. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m
disciplined. That’s why I work so hard. That’s my dream.
“I know it’s not an easy task. There’s still a big fight ahead of
me, but I want that chance. But I think I deserve it. I think I
work hard for it and I deserve that chance for the belt. That’s my
opinion. I hope it’s the fans opinion too and everybody else.”
Las week, UFC president Dana White revealed that reigning light
heavyweight champion Jan
Blachowicz would next defend his crown against 185-pound title
holder Israel
Adesanya at a future date. Teixeira’s emergence makes things
interesting, a fact that White acknowledged.
“As I was listening to him give his interviews, he’s not wrong,”
White said on the post-fight show. “He’s like, ‘I deserve this
shot.’ He’s been here forever. He’s on this streak. He looked great
tonight. And what’s funny is every time I count this guy out and
think I don’t know if he’s got it, he proves me wrong. He looked
incredible tonight.”
Teixeira was able to survive adversity on the feet to drag Santos
into his world. “Marreta” rocked Teixeira early in Round 1 but
spent most of that frame as well as the second round on his back.
Santos had one final salvo when he floored Teixeira in Round 3, but
the veteran regained his bearings, reversed position and secured
the fight-ending maneuver.
“I was able to see the punches and everything. The guy, his
nickname is Sledgehammer for a reason,” Teixeira said. “Every punch
he throws is very powerful. In the third round, when I got down, I
knew he was gonna go crazy. I knew to take my time and I had to
survive because he’s gonna get tired.
“First round he was strong. Second round, he’s getting weaker. I
needed another 20 seconds in that second round [to finish the
choke]. It was so close. In the third I knew I was gonna finish
him. In my mind, ‘This is the round.’ But then I [got] caught with
a little punch there, a little off balance, but I was able to pull
it out.”
It’s possible that Teixeira could get a title shot sooner than
expected if Blachowicz vs. Adesanya doesn’t come to fruition. At
the very least, Blachowicz isn’t lacking for potential options for
his first 205-pound belt defense.
“It’s something we need to figure out,” White said. “But I heard
him, I agree with him and I’m taking him serious. I’m not going to
doubt this guy anymore.”
Teixeira, whose 12 finishes are the most in the history of the
UFC’s light heavyweight division, knows his recent work is
difficult to overlook.
“Dana is a fair man,” Teixeira said. “I know that he knows my hard
work. My finish says it all. I’m 41 years old and finishing fights.
The guys that went to decision with Jon Jones, I
finished them. I go for finish. Chuck
Liddell told me a long time ago, you want the UFC to like you,
go after finishes [in] fights … That’s my thing. I want to finish
fights.”