Uncertainty and after turning around in life, Glover Teixeira defends UFC belt

Glover Teixeira confesses that he sometimes had doubts. Would it ever happen? It was the thought that crossed his mind and he soon pushed it away.

“I lost my first fight 20 years ago and I’m here today. What are you afraid of?”, he asked himself.

The answer will be around your waist when you enter the UFC octagon this Saturday (11) to face Czech Jiri Prochazka: the light heavyweight belt. It will be the 42-year-old Brazilian’s first title defense fight. Only American Randy Couture (46) became champion at an older age than he was.

The Combate channel broadcasts the entire event card in Singapore starting at 19:10. The event will also have the Brazilian Taila Santos in the fight for the title in the fly category against Valentina Shwvchenko, born in Kyrgyzstan,

Among those who won the belt for the first time, Glover is the oldest. He sees himself as an inspiration to other people. Not for the victory itself, but for defying the odds. The life story of the 19th Brazilian UFC champion is unlikely.

“I’m in a very happy moment, very top in my life. Everything that comes is profit. I’m 42 years old, I’ll reach 43 this year, still fighting, doing what I love. It’s more than I could wish for. person who reaches the top serves as an inspiration for someone and that makes me happy”, he explains.

The victory over Polish Jan Blachowicz, which earned him the title, in October last year, provoked a wave of messages from former and current fighters. All happy with the Brazilian’s achievement. Nobody waited as long as Glover for this.

His tone of voice when talking about his career turnaround isn’t one of pride, but it could be. It’s not cheerful. Glover speaks fast, hard and direct. That’s more or less how he realized he wasn’t going anywhere in the profession he loved.

After defeating Rashad Evans in 2016, he entered a trajectory of fickleness. It wasn’t good enough to qualify to fight to be champion. Lost to Anthony Johnson, won to Jared Cannonier. Was knocked out by Alexander Gustafsson, knocked out Misha Cirkunov. Aaiu in front of Corey Anderson.

A lose-win-lose-win-lose that couldn’t go on.

“My life needed a radical change. I distanced myself from some friends, those reviews, the beer on the weekend, the parties… Those sensory pleasures. I had forgotten what the goal was. I had to discipline myself because there are two pains in life: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret.”

After that, it was five consecutive victories. The sixth was with the conquest of the belt against the Pole. Of those, four by submission.

“I really changed my life. Tell me who you hang out with and I’ll tell you who you are. It works. You see it works. After that, when I saw that I wasn’t that guy anymore [de antes]I started to realize that I was enjoying the fight”, he adds.

Being satisfied should be enough for the fighter born in Sobrália, a municipality of 5,000 inhabitants in the southeast of Minas Gerais. From a poor family, he didn’t even have money to drive to Governador Valadares, 40 km away.

When he did, it was to start the path taken by others from the main city in the region: moving to the United States. Glover crossed the border as an illegal immigrant through Mexico. He worked with what came along. He was a bricklayer, painter and gardener. It is funny that in some news on the internet it is said that he worked with “landscape”.

“Landscape? What is it? Guys use those difficult words. I’ve always worked in the fields. I’ve always been a worker. In the United States, I was a carpenter, bricklayer, gardener. I did everything.”

But from there he learned lessons used when he first set foot in the octagon.

“All these jobs showed me the value of honorable work. It gave me discipline to work.”

Now the owner of a gym in the country he adopted, he returned to Brazil to regularize his situation. He managed to travel back to the United States just three and a half years later. In 2021, he became a US citizen.

“It was very special after all this fight, everything I went through. Last year was magical for me”, he says.

If 2022 continues at the same pace, he intends to defend the title again in October, at the mythical Madison Square Garden in New York. He has said in the past that it would be his farewell. But he confesses that he might change his mind. Close to 43, to be completed in October, Glover Teixeira will make decisions according to the moment. If he planned something for the future, why can’t he change his mind?

“Maybe what I want today, tomorrow I may not want it. We can set goals and then something happens that changes your mind. It’s a plan to defend the belt at Madison Square Garden, but that could change.”

For those who moved to another country, changed their lifestyle and transformed their status in the UFC when few expected it, change is the key.

“I’m not sure about anything.”