Glover Teixeira had already made it clear leading up to UFC 267 that he would be hanging around for a while if he won the title, and now he’s opening up on when he’ll know it’s time to walk away.
Glover Teixeira’s UFC 267 victory over Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight championship was no doubt one of the most inspirational moments in MMA history. The immediate reaction from fighters of all backgrounds speaks to the magnitude of Teixeira winning the title at 42 after many, even some of his own friends, did not believe he could make it back to a title shot, much less the title.
Glover Teixeira Captures UFC Gold At 42
Now that he has a fairytale ending, some might think it would be the perfect time for Glover Teixeira to ride off into the sunset like NFL players Jerome Bettis and Michael Strahan did after finally winning their first Super Bowl. But after winning the world title, Teixeira is standing by what he said during the pre-fight buildup: He intends on hanging out at light heavyweight for a while.
However, although he bucked the odds and got his hand raised last night, Father Time remains undefeated in the big war, even if it drops a battle every now and again. Thus, there will come a day when Glover Teixeira will hang it up, whether he is still the champion or not. And the Brazilian has a firm handle on when he’ll know when that moment has arrived.
“I think I’m gonna make that decision in the gym someday when I don’t want to do this anymore,” Teixeira said during the UFC 267 post-fight press conference. “I know it’s very hard. My wife know how hard I work, you know. She knows the time, trying to sleep, and forcing myself to sleep, stay in the bed like 14 hours sometimes just to rest my body, to take some sleep.”
With the way Teixeira has been performing in his six-straight victories capped off by a world title, that retirement decision doesn’t appear to be lurking about.
“But I love it. I love the results,” Teixeira said with joy in his voice. “I love the way I’ve been fighting, the way I’ve been training, so I’m gonna keep doing it until I don’t feel the love anymore. Until I don’t feel the passion anymore is probably gonna be the time that I’m gonna quit.”
Judging from the wide smile that never left his face after winning the world title, the love is still very much within and also all around him. So you can expect the new light heavyweight champ to try to take a few more rounds from Father Time before he eventually brings a close to his storybook run.
How much longer do you think we’ll see Glover Teixeira compete in the UFC?
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Glover Teixeira Opens Up On When He Will Retire From MMA