Glover Teixeira did not need the UFC light heavyweight championship to be delighted. The way he tells it, lifetime around his initially four many years turned out rather terrific, with spouse and children and good friends, a thriving combat career and a gym of his personal in Danbury, Conn.
But that gold he received previous October, two times soon after turning 42 many years previous, serves as validation for every thing he worked towards about 20 yrs as a experienced fighter.
“I was satisfied prior to the belt I even claimed that numerous instances,” Teixeira not too long ago advised The Write-up in excess of the phone. “I say that the belt is the cherry on the cake, gentleman. It’s gonna summarize my full vocation, my difficult perform.”
Now arrives the next chapter — assuredly a person of the very last in a adorned profession — as Teixiera (33-7, 28 finishes) places his gold on the line for the initial time Saturday in Kallang, Singapore in the UFC 275 fork out-per-look at (10 p.m. ET) headliner in opposition to Jiri Prochazka.
Prochazka (28-3-1, 27 finishes), 29, wasted small time earning the struggle towards Teixeira. Two tour de force victories in his 1st two several years above major 205ers Volkan Oezdemir and former two-time title challenger Dominick Reyes did the trick. It’s unusual in today’s MMA landscape for a UFC newcomer to rise so quick, but that’s simply because the Czech challenger by now created an outstanding résumé prior to his arrival, something his coaches urged.
The exact same thing happened along Teixeira’s journey, as he arrived in 2012 as a respected veteran with a 17-2 mark, victories more than numerous UFC veterans and the cachet of staying a major schooling partner of mid-aughts celebrity Chuck Liddell. But although Prochazka states his patient approach was a strategic final decision by his workforce, Teixeira’s delayed UFC debut resulted from visa problems stemming from the way he at first arrived in the United States as a teen, a harrowing tale he recounted past year.
However, Teixeira sees benefit in the way both he and his opponent didn’t hurry to the major phase of the activity. He implies “waiting is just making ready you for the glory,” a message he passes on to the fighters at Teixeira MMA & Fitness.
“I have a whole lot of pupils suitable now, a large amount of young men [and] newbie fighters, and I retain telling them, ‘Don’t be [in a] rush. Don’t attempt to hurry to get to UFC,” Teixeira reported. “Because I often believed, it does not subject how extensive it takes to get there, it’s how, am I organized to remain there.
“A ton of men, immediately after four or five fights, they get in UFC [after] perhaps only a couple of years [of] instruction, some of them do properly and preserve likely, but some of them when they facial area the level that the UFC has, primarily if you’re getting it that early, it is really tough for the reason that the degree is so close, the fellas are so challenging, so strong, and you’ve gotta be at the top rated of your recreation.”
It took Teixeira just shy of 10 many years to get to the UFC. His 10-year anniversary with the advertising just passed at the conclude of very last month. Tuesday marked the 20th anniversary of his MMA debut — a decline at one of the earliest situations from former nicely-regarded group WEC.
Remaining electricity this kind of as that from fighters at the heavier bodyweight courses is not unheard of. But Teixeira’s championship victory around Jan Blachowicz was more than simply unusual as he turned the oldest fighter in UFC historical past to acquire his initially title. Several could have imagined these kinds of a feat even three years back. And the champ “never imagined” he would be competing 20 decades soon after turning pro, let by itself at the best of the mountain.
“I did not have imagination back then,” reported Teixeira, thinking about his way of thinking as a younger male just commencing in a younger activity. “I was just thinking I’d be retired by 35, back again then. Then, when I bought to UFC, I’d say, “Maybe if I fight ’till I’m 40, I’d be a very content male. And right here I am, 42 with the belt, so this is incredible.”
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