The UFC light heavyweight champ, Glover Teixeira, knows that at 43 years of age he’ll be hanging up the gloves for good sometime soon. Unlike many fighters, he has a clear idea of the trajectory that will take him to retirement, and knows precisely what he’ll be doing once he’s done with competition, telling Mundo da Luta that he’ll “stay cool” – unlike Henry Cejudo.
Number one, win his first title defense. “The perfect plan would be winning this fight, which I have full focus on. And fighting one last time in November, in New York, which is close to the city I live for 20 years, and close to my gym. It would be my farewell from fighting. That’s what I’m thinking right now.”
Glover Teixeira Eyes Retirement, but “not like Henry Cejudo: He’ll “stay cool”
On June 11, Teixeira will defend his belt against Jiri Prochazka, a heavy-handed striker with a flair for highlight-reel finishes. It’s nothing Teixeira hasn’t faced before, and he expects to emerge victorious at the end of the day.
After that, he may well end up fighting Jan Blachowicz, the man he dethroned to earn the title. Contenders Anthony Smith and Magomed Ankalaev are set to fight in July, which allows plenty of time for the winner to prepare for a title assault in November. Regardless of who he fights at the end of 2022, Glover Teixeira is happy to hang up the gloves and bask in his long MMA career. Retiring at the top isn’t an option for many professional fighters, but Teixeira is grateful for all that he has. He won’t be begging for scraps.
“I’ll be 43 in November. Regardless of being at the top, being the best of the world or not, I wanna stop this year. It will probably be my last year. I don’t wanna make this decision after a fight, but it’s what I’ve been thinking for a while.
I don’t wanna retire like [Henry] Cejudo, who keeps asking for a fight all the time. I want to retire and stay cool. I think that’s the perfect plan. The perfect plan is to retire with the belt this year, but we have a lot to do. We have to see if it could be in New York, and I still have to beat a guy that is tough as hell. That’s my idea.”
Is Glover Teixeira right about Henry Cejudo? Will he manage to stay cool in retirement? Let us know in the comments.
