Glover Teixeira thinks Alex Pereira’s power is unmatched.
[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]’s power is unmatched.
Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) defends his title against Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 307 main event in Salt Lake City.
Pereira has expressed his desire to drop back down to middleweight – where he once held the belt, to challenge champion Dricus Du Plessis. His coach and mentor Teixeira doesn’t put any limitations on what “Poatan” can do, and even sees him ruling the heavyweight division if he wanted to.
“To be honest, I’m confident that he can do anything he wants,” Teixeira told The Schmo. “He can fight at heavyweight and destroy the heavyweights there because the strength, the ability to read the opponents, and (go) in and out, and the power. He’s more powerful than any heavyweight I’ve trained with. Of course, any heavyweight, Tom Aspinall, Stipe (Miocic) (have) got KO power, as well. But Alex is way up there.”
Teixeira fought current heavyweight champion Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title at UFC 172 in April 2014. Although he fell short by unanimous decision, he says Jones’ power is nothing like Pereira’s.
“There’s no comparison,” Teixeira said. “I know Jon Jones is a great fighter. He’s a great martial artist as well. Just like Alex, he studies the guy. But power, there’s no comparison. Alex has different power – like George Foreman power. … Alex is different. Timing and the power is different. He has tremendous power. I never in my life sparred with a guy that hits as hard.”
Glover Teixeira isn’t concerned with Jamahal Hill reaching out to Israel Adesanya ahead of UFC 300.
[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] isn’t concerned with [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] reaching out to [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] ahead of UFC 300.
Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) sought advice from Adesanya ahead of his title fight against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC), which headlines UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Adesanya has fought Pereira four times, including twice in kickboxing. Adesanya was able to win one meeting out of the four – their most recent one at UFC 287 where he won by knockout.
“He is a great fighter and, for sure, he’s in anybody’s corner, he’s going to help anybody,” Teixeira told CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri of Adesanya. “Anybody that comes and sees something different with a high level, he can definitely be a help, for sure, 100 percent. It’s just another help. If you say Izzy or Jon Jones, really some high-level guys, it’s all going to help big time because of the experience.
“It’s not something that’s going to be magic. I say that all the time about me being in Alex’s corner and people saying, ‘Great reason why Alex.’ No, it’s not. Alex would be a champion, he would be where he is, anybody with discipline that have any skills of martial arts would take Alex to the top. It’s him. It’s just the person he is.”
Teixeira retired after losing to Hill in their vacant light heavyweight title fight at UFC 283 in January. He will be able to provide valuable insight to Pereira, just like he did for their common opponent Jiri Prochazka.
“Alex was there rooting for me when I fought Jiri, and Jiri got his hand raised. We were all upset,” Teixeira said. “The next time, Alex went over there and got the title from him to become a champion, and we were all happy about it.
“It feels good in a way. Like, ‘Hey, man, this guy was happy last time, now we got him.’ Jamahal is the same way. It’s not a personal thing. It’s just a game. It’s just the sport. You go in and try to beat the guy that beat you. I don’t think Alex has that in his mind. He’ll fight anyone because you just want to keep that belt.”
Check out a full recap of 2023’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2023’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
The MMA world already has said goodbye to many retiring fighters in 2023, from former UFC champions to icons of the sport.
MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently, fighters from the era who helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves in order to move on to the next chapter in life.
If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete, and perhaps more importantly get a payday, will continue to drive fighters back even well beyond their expiration dates.
2023 has seen an uptick in notable fighters announcing they are done with the sport, and we have a list of those who have opted to walk away this year (the list will update as new retirements are announced).
Glover Teixeira likes Jamahal Hill as a next opponent for new UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, his student.
NEW YORK – [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] likes [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] as a next opponent for [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].
Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) captured the vacant light heavyweight title when he knocked out Jiri Prochazka (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in the second round in this past Saturday’s UFC 295 main event at Madison Square Garden.
Although Pereira called out former foe Israel Adesanya after his win, UFC CEO Dana White said ex-champ Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is the fight to make. If Hill is indeed next, Teixeira feels confident about the matchup.
“If that’s the fight, I think it’s going to be a great fight,” Teixeira told MMA Junkie. “Like I said about Jiri, they’re great warriors – guys that I fought. Between Jiri and Jamahal, we had 50 minutes there, pretty much. It’s a great fight for Alex. Alex is a different level – he’s a different beast.”
It’s been an incredible run for Pereira in the UFC so far. He’s captured titles in two weight divisions in just seven octagon fights. Pereira was able to chop Prochazka’s legs down and make him pay on the counter before he got the finish.
“It was amazing the way the result came out,” Teixeira said. “I’m just so happy for the guy, the way he works. In the beginning of the round, I was just like, ‘Oh man, when is he going to pick up’ because he was not doing the shots fast. I was like, ‘He’s doing a trap’ or something, or ‘He’s going to get knocked out quick.’ Soon, two minutes into the fight, I knew it was going to be a quick night for Alex.”
Glover Teixeira thinks Alex Pereira moving up to light heavyweight was the right choice.
[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] moving up to light heavyweight was the right choice.
Former middleweight champion Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) will go up a division and face Jan Blachowicz (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) in the UFC 291 co-main event on July 29 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.
Teixeira thinks the weight cut down to 185 pounds was too taxing on the body of Pereira, who’s already big at light heavyweight.
“I like him going to light heavyweight,” Teixeira said during the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 post-match news conference (H/T FanSided MMA). “When he said he was going to light heavyweight, I was like, ‘I love it’ because I don’t want to see him cutting that much weight. You don’t know how much that guy cuts. He’s 230 pounds right now and he’s lean.
“He’s probably like 8 percent body fat. For him to drop to 185 is crazy – crazy, man. I cut weight. I don’t cut that much, but I know how hard it is and as you get older, it gets harder and harder. That eventually can be bad for your health, and I don’t want him to be in that position, so I’m glad.”
Pereira will look to rebound from his knockout loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287. He faces Blachowicz, who Teixeira submitted at UFC 267 to capture the light heavyweight title.
Not only does Teixeira see Pereira winning, he sees him ruling the division.
“I think it’s a great matchup for Alex,” Teixeira said. “I think Alex is going to take over the whole division. He’s going to be a champion again, in light heavyweight.”
If Pereira gets past Blachowicz, he could end up facing current light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, who battered Teixeira to claim the vacant belt at UFC 283. Teixeira retired after the fight, and admits it would be nice if Pereira could avenge his loss.
“If everything goes to plan and Alex passes Jan, for sure I think Jamahal Hill would be an amazing fight for Alex,” Teixeira said. “And it would be nice to see him (get) revenge – nothing against Jamahal; he’s a great guy.”
He doesn’t smile often, but former UFC champ Alex Pereira sneaking to surprise his mentor with a generous gift had him cheesing ear to ear.
If you live in or around Danbury, Conn., and you see a nearly middle-aged Brazilian man with a grayish beard flying and bald head zooming around on a brand new Harley, it might just be a former UFC light heavyweight champion.
[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] has a new ride, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and it’s all thanks to his protege, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag], a collaborated video posted to their Instagram accounts shows.
Pereira surprised Teixeira by planting a Harley in his longtime mentor’s garage. When Teixeira rolled up, Pereira and his sons opened the garage, uncovered the motorcycle, and handed over the keys.
“I’m speechless thank you thank you very happy for the present,” Teixeira wrote in Portuguese. “I think what I always say in the gym and in interviews I think @alexpoatanpereira helped me more than I helped him and I’m always grateful for that, but this gift was from a friend I saw back there a potential to be a champion, and I wanted to be part of that Journey and him being a champion was everything, but when agent expects nothing the universe gives us much more, thank you my friend. Too happy.
“What an amazing gift from Poatan. I think Poatãn helped me more than I helped him. When he came to me, I saw his potential and I told him one day he would be champion and all I wanted was to be part of his journey. His winning was everything for me. But when you don’t expect anything, the universe gives us more than we deserve. Thank you my friend!”
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ct9uOUzNQAh/
I mean, wow. Look at that grin on Teixeira’s face – and he deserves this happiness. There certainly have been more well known and more talked-about fighters in UFC history, but has there been one more unanimously liked than Teixeira? What a guy.
And Pereira’s selflessness here is next level. This seems like it was a totally out-of-the-blue, “What am I going to do today? How about I do something nice for someone who helped me out?” sort of move. Class all around.
In case there’s any evidence needed to back the old saying that “presents are made for the pleasure of who gives them, not the merits of who receives them,” just look at Pereira.
We finally cracked the code and figured out what makes him smile.
Coach Glover Teixeira hopes Alex Pereira won’t go “crazy” trying to finish Israel Adesanya early at UFC 287.
[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] says focus and alertness are the key to [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] earning yet another victory over Israel Adesanya when they meet at UFC 287.
Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has proven to have Adesanya’s (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) number during their three combat sports encounters. The reigning UFC middleweight champ has won twice in kickboxing and once in MMA competition.
The MMA win was the most high profile of the bunch, with Pereira pulling off a stunning come-from-behind rally that saw him claim the 185-pound belt with a fifth-round TKO of Adesanya last November at UFC 281. He’s now 3-0 in head-to-head matchups, but Adesanya has arguably won the overwhelming majority of the actual fight time.
Teixeira, the recently retired former UFC light heavyweight champion who serves as Pereira’s coach and mentor, knows the next fight is likely to be the most difficult of the bunch. He knows it’s going to take an exceptional performance to win again and said execution has been the key focus of training camp.
“He knows the way we won the last fight – he waited too much to pull the trigger,” Teixeira told MMA Junkie. “He just needs to be more alert in this fight, because Izzy, he’s fast. He moves a lot, and that’s what we’ve been working on. Be alert, be focused and when the opportunity comes, just take the fight to finish. He is a finisher. He can finish a fight at any given second.
“He’s a powerhouse. The guy hits so hard and he’s just got to pressure more and get it done, like he did in the fifth round. Of course, he knows not to just go crazy and try to finish the fight in the first round. But be more alert.”
If Pereira is able to win at UFC 287, which takes place April 8 at Miami-Dade Arena in Miami and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+, he can move on from the Adesanya chapter and look ahead to new challenges.
What exactly those challenges look like is unclear, but Teixeira said his fellow Brazilian has the ability to compete across three weight classes and wouldn’t rule out a change in divisions down the line.
“Eventually he will,” Teixeira said. “We talk about it. He can fight anywhere. Look at this guy. He can fight in any division. He can fight in heavyweight, light heavyweight – he’s big. Eventually I think he’s going to want to do that because the weight cut is a big cut for him. He doesn’t complain. He just keeps going and doing it well, because he likes to be 185, and he felt good. But he can do 205 for sure and eventually it might happen because if he goes up, there are super fights, big fights. I think it’s a possibility.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
“I didn’t want to do it just for the money. So I was like, ‘I’m done with this.’ At least for UFC,” former champ Glover Teixeira said of his retirement.
[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] didn’t know for sure that UFC 283 in January was going to be his MMA retirement fight when he entered the octagon to face Jamahal Hill for the vacant light heavyweight title.
By the time the contest was over, though, Teixeira (33-9 MMA, 16-7 UFC) was certain a significant chapter of his life had come to an end. His lopsided unanimous decision loss to Hill in front of his home country fans at Jeunesse Arena at Rio de Janeiro marked the final stop in a UFC Hall of Fame worthy run.
It wasn’t only that Teixeira was beaten. It was the way he lost that felt different, he said. It was the type of night older athletes dread. The 43-year-old former UFC champ couldn’t execute the way he wanted in many critical moments, pesrhaps signifying the inevitable decline that Teixeira has avoided for much longer than most.
“(I made the decision) just there right after the fight,” Teixeira told MMA Junkie in an interview for one of his sponsors, Stake.com. “I was disappointed with a lot of things. I didn’t want to go back to the drawing board. In my last fight (with Jiri Prochazka) I was winning the fight, I lost. With the fight with Jamahal, I had good positions on him I just didn’t have the finish. It was weird. I don’t know. I think the position I had him on the ground in the fifth round I thought I was going to have the finish and he was slipping out.
“I felt a little sluggish, a little slow. Even in the ground my ability, my mind works very fast on the ground. I already think what the guy is going to do. I know what he is going to do next, and I’m one step ahead of him. This fight, I was a little off. Then after the fight, with my face beat up, I was like, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore. I think it’s time. I think it’s time to hang up the gloves.'”
Just because Teixeira wasn’t able to beat a dangerous opponent like Hill doesn’t mean he’s completely incapable of pushing forward. There are plenty of 205-pound fighters on the UFC roster Teixeira could still beat quite convincingly.
With more than 20 years experience under his belt, however, Teixeira didn’t stick around as long as he did to lower the level of competition now. He only wants to be in the octagon with the highest stakes against the absolute elite, and anything short of that is not worth it.
“I don’t want to fight if it’s not for the title anymore, if it’s not for me to be the best in the world anymore,” Teixeira said. “I’m always this guy that preaches you’ve got to live with purpose in life. Money is great when you have purpose. When you know what you’re doing and you want to do it not for the money. … The money is great because you work for the money, but I didn’t want to do it just for the money. So I was like, ‘I’m done with this.’ At least for UFC.”
Teixeira might be done with UFC, but he’s not closing the door on athlete competition for good. He will still be in his gym training often, coaching a budding crop of fighters that includes current UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira.
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Although Teixeira won’t be pursuing any fights in the near future, he does admit if an opportunity comes his way, he would give it a serious look.
“If I’m going to do it for the money, I do something easy,” Teixeira said. “I box a guy my age or something. Then it would be different than fighting young guys in the UFC for the light heavyweight championship.”
For now, though, Teixeira is going to reap the rewards of an illustrious career. The transition away from being active in the sport has its bumps, but Teixeira is learning to cope.
“It’s kind of weird,” Teixeira said. “I realize (after retiring) how much of an athlete I am. My whole life I go (work out) and I want to push my next because I’m always thinking about the fight. The last minute of the fight, the last minute of the round and I push it, push it, push it. Lately (I was working out) and I was like, ‘I I don’t have a fight coming up. I don’t have to do this. It’s just for fun.’
“I want to keep the pace high because I have athletes there (at my gym), but it’s kind of relaxing. It’s what I need. 20 years I’ve been doing this and always thinking about the competition mode. It’s very nice during my work outs.”
Jamahal Hill praises UFC legend Glover Teixeira after sending him off into retirement following his title victory.
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] has many takeaways from his championship win this past Saturday night at UFC 283, but one might stand out above all.
Hill captured the UFC light heavyweight title in dominant fashion by dismantling Glover Teixeira over five rounds in Rio de Janeiro. And in those 25 minutes, many things happened. Hill showed much improvement to his game, became the first fighter from Dana White’s Contender Series to earn UFC gold, and the list goes on.
But something that can’t be left out is that Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) closed out Teixeira’s career as the Brazilian star announced his retirement immediately after the fight. And for Hill, being part of Teixeira’s career was a meaningful moment for him.
“It was an unspeakable honor,” Hill told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “In Brazil, in his home country, to do that and just everything how it happened, it was just incredible, man. It was a moment. And that’s what the emotion was at the end.
“It was an incredible moment, you know. From just the hostility in the crowd to going in and performing how I wanted to perform, and just how tough the fight itself was with him never going away. Yeah, bro, it was just a mixture of all those things. He didn’t lay down. He didn’t give it to me easy. I had to go and truly earn this title.”
The fight was extremely one-sided in Hill’s favor. He won all five rounds on all three judges’ scorecards and close to stopping Teixeira (33-9 MMA, 16-7 UFC) on more than one occasion. Yet, the Brazilian somehow found ways to stay in the fight despite the accumulated damage.
Hill was taken away by Teixeira’s toughness.
“It was a tough fight,” Hill said. “It was a hell of an opponent, legendary, Hall of Famer. The dude’s toughness is understated. He’s not just tough, he was tough, and he was actively doing the right things to try to win the fight. He was still active. He was still throwing. He was still looking to get a dominant position. The entire time, he never once wore the pain of the fight.”
