A few days after making history and winning the UFC light heavyweight (up to 93kg) belt at UFC 267, Glover Teixeira It's just joy. New king of the organization, the fighter spoke exclusively to SUPER LUTAS YouTube channel about the special moment in his career. The athlete opened up about the confrontation against Jan Blachowicz and analyzed possible confrontations against Jiri Prochazka e Israel adesanya.
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Last weekend, the Brazilian thrilled the MMA community by winning the title in the under-93kg category. at 42 years old. To reach the absolute top of the group, the Minas Gerais native easily passed the dangerous Blachowicz, submitting the Pole in the second round.
Did it sink in?
Less than a week after his historic achievement in the organization, Teixeira spoke about his feelings after assuming an even more prominent position in mixed martial arts. Without hiding his emotion, the fighter vented.
"World champion. Everyone is happy. I'm feeling people's happiness. There are people who come close to me and cry. Anyone who has been following my story is very moved. It's real. I’m not the nicest guy in the world, but I’m a real guy, I speak reality and people see that in me,” he said.
Career peak
Glover's trajectory in Ultimate captivates a large part of the public due to the example of overcoming that the Minas Gerais player sets in the organization. After 'hitting the post' in 2014 in the group's title fight, the athlete guarantees that, at 42 years old, he is experiencing his best moment.
“(The best time) is now. My last fight was excellent. With the discipline I'm having and moving away from the things that are bad for me, sticking to the things that are good for me, helps me a lot. You are seeing the result. I will continue like this, always with positivity. It's working very well. This helps me with everything. I can say that physically I am better. It could have been better 10 years ago, if I had the mindset I have today,” he said.
Surprise with Blachowicz
Last weekend, Teixeira stepped into the Octagon to face one of the toughest opponents of his career. The Brazilian, however, went through the challenge with some ease and said he was surprised by the former champion's performance.
“I didn’t imagine it would be, in quotes, an easy fight. I thought he was going to land some shots, which would be harder to put down, but it's training. It worked out. It went my way. I have a clear face (laughs),” he said.
Next step: Jiri Prochazka
As soon as he won the light heavyweight belt, Glover, still in the Octagon, made a point of stating that Jiri Prochazka would be his first challenger. Thus, the athlete made a brief analysis about a possible duel against the Czech.
“I already analyzed him before, because he was in reserve (for the UFC 267), so I took a look at his fights. Right now, I'm just enjoying it. In a moment, we will come back and analyze it more. I'm not going to say it's difficult. It's difficult, but he's a little crazy. We’re going to get some guys (to train),” he said.
And Israel Adesanya?
With Prochazka as a possible first challenger to his throne, Teixeira knows he needs to keep an eye on another UFC star. Middleweight champion (up to 83,9kg.) in the company, Israel adesanya He tried, unsuccessfully, to win the under-93kg group title. against Blachowicz and failed. If the Nigerian tries to make his dream come true again, the miner is already prepared.
“I never denied any opponent. I'm a fighter. (The secret) is to put it down and finish. The numbers don't lie. The guys already know what I'm going to do. I’m going to put it down, take the back and finish (laughs)”, he said.
In the biggest moment of his career, Glover, in addition to the belt, extended his undefeated streak to six fights. Professional in MMA since 2002, the Minas Gerais native has 33 victories and seven setbacks within the sport.
