Glover
Teixeira laid down his arms for the final time in the
UFC
283 main event, where he failed in his bid to reclaim the
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title in a
unanimous decision defeat to
Jamahal
Hill on Saturday at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Afterward, the widely revered and respected Brazilian announced his
retirement from mixed martial arts, closing the book on a storied
career that began all the way back in 2002.
Now 43 years of age and with untold hours of hand-to-hand combat
having taken virtually all the tread off of his tires, Teixeira
completes his remarkable journey with a 33-9 record that includes
28 victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
As Teixeira enters the next phase of his life, a look at five of
the many moments that came to define him:
1. Worth the Wait
Teixeira was sensational in his long-awaited and long-overdue
promotional debut, as he submitted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8
alum
Kyle
Kingsbury with an arm-triangle choke in the first round of
their UFC 146 light heavyweight prelim on May 26, 2012 at the MGM
Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Kingsbury raised the white flag of
surrender 1:53 into Round 1. Teixeira wasted no time getting down
to business. He put heavy power punches on Kingsbury, wobbled him
with a searing uppercut and followed the
American Kickboxing Academy export to the mat. Teixeira
ultimately moved to mount, battered his counterpart from top
position and locked in the choke for the finish.
2. Just Due
A new No. 1 contender for the Ultimate Fighting Championship light
heavyweight crown emerged when Teixeira put away
Ryan Bader
with punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 28
headliner on Sept. 4, 2013 Jornalista Felipe Drumond Stadium in
Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Bader succumbed to blows 2:55 into Round 1.
The triumph did not come without a momentary scare, however, as
Bader briefly dropped the Brazilian with a left hand and rushed in
to finish. It was only a matter of time before Teixeira responded.
With his back against the fence, the John Hackleman protégé
appeared to be in peril as Bader fired off an uppercut and two
overhand rights after failing on a guillotine attempt. The
Brazilian answered with a two-punch combination of his own that
dropped the former Arizona State University wrestling star, and
from there, it was academic. Sensing the end was near, Teixeira
pounded his adversary with right hands until referee
Herb Dean
called a halt to their encounter.
3. Out of His Depth
Jon
Jones overwhelmed Teixeira with his diverse standup arsenal and
retaining the undisputed light heavyweight championship with a
lopsided unanimous decision in the UFC 172 main event on April 26,
2014 at the Baltimore Arena. “Bones” pitched a shutout on the
scorecards, as he took all five rounds in the eyes of all three
cageside judges. Teixeira had no answer for the superior skills and
athleticism with which he was faced. Jones was effective at a
distance, but he did his best work in the clinch. There, he
attacked the challenger with a series of short slashing elbows, one
of which opened a gnarly diagonal cut above the Brazilian’s right
eye. Teixeira fired back in response, but his heavy hands seemed to
have no effect on the relentless champion. Jones outlanded his
counterpart by a staggering 138-53 margin in terms of significant
strikes, secured the only three takedowns of the bout and piled up
nearly six minutes of control time.
4. Better Late than Never
Some 48 hours after he celebrated his 42nd birthday, the ageless
Teixeira submitted
Jan
Blachowicz with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their
UFC 267 headliner and walked away with the undisputed Ultimate
Fighting Championship light heavyweight title on Oct. 30, 2021 at
Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Blachowicz tapped
out 3:02 into Round 2, as he bowed in defeat for the first time in
more than three years. Teixeira set the table in the first round,
where he took down the WCA Fight Team product inside the first
minute and consolidated his efforts with top control and
ground-and-pound. He waded through thudding punches from the Polish
powerhouse in Round 2, staggered him with a sweeping left hook and
secured another takedown. Teixeira then climbed to full mount,
transitioned to the back and flattened out the champion before
cinching the choke for the finish.
5. Passing the Torch
Jiri
Prochazka submitted Teixeira with a no-hooks rear-naked choke
and laid claim to the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship
light heavyweight title in the UFC 275 main event on June 12, 2022
at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Teixeira
capitulated 4:32 into Round 5, suffering the first submission
defeat of his 41-fight career. Back and forth they went for
four-plus rounds, exchanging takedowns, dominant positions,
submission attempts and heavy leather. Neither man was willing to
give in to the pain or punishment. Teixeira carved out a horrendous
gash above his opponent’s left eye with a savage elbow strike in
the second round before Prochazka returned the favor in the third,
opening a cut across the bridge of the venerable Brazilian’s nose.
As they entered Round 5, it was anyone’s fight. Teixeira executed
takedown, achieved full mount and threatened with an arm-triangle
choke. However, Prochazka never considered surrender as an option.
He slipped out of Teixeira’s grasp, wheeled behind him and snuck
his arms in place for the choke. His powerful squeeze and fatigue
combined to do the rest, and they were enough to end Teixeira’s
unlikely reign atop the 205-pound weight class.