Glover Teixeira probably has gotten used to unconventional events occurring around him at this point. The Brazilian fighter won the Light-heavyweight title at the age of 42 in a fight against Jan Balchowicz, only to lose the title to Jiri Prochazka.
The rematch against Jiri was supposed to happen in UFC 282. But ‘The Czech Samurai’ hurt his shoulder only days before the fight. Then Glover was offered a fight against Magomed Ankalaev. Glover turned that fight down as he wanted more preparation time.
Finally, the title fight happened and resulted in a draw. But the UFC was not willing to keep the title vacant. Teixeira was present at the venue and he was offered a title shot on the spot. “Let’s go! Whoever”, was his response. His opponent Jamahal Hill received the offer shortly.
At 43 years, Glover doesn’t have a very long time left in the Octagon. Rarely do fighters even fight till their forties. So this opportunity could be the Brazillian fighter’s last shot at the belt. His opponent Hill (11-1), has won his last three matches.
Speaking with MMA underground, Teixeira had this wisdom to share, “I keep saying this to everybody: People stress for no reason.” “Of course, I got upset on the day that I found out I’m not going to fight for the title”
“Let the universe take care of things and do the right thing. Keep focused on your goal and the universe will take care of the rest”, he concluded. Glover was hoping for a fight in Rio too but after seeing the fight, he abandoned that idea.
UFC 283 is set to take place on January 21 in Rio de Janeiro. Brandon Moreno will also challenge Deiveson Figueiredo for the flyweight title on the same card.
