Things Fans Should Know About UFC Champion Glover Teixeira

Glover Teixeira is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, after having one of the longest roads to gold in the history of the promotion. Teixeira's story is a wild one. He was a fighter that was hyped for years due to his training with Chuck Liddell, only to mildly disappoint when he actually made the big show.

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However, Teixeira turned it all around in 2019. Going on a six-fight winning streak that ended in his victory over Jan Blachowicz to become UFC Champion at the ripe age of 42 years. Teixeira's ride to championship glory was certainly a wild one, which is worth talking about.

10 He Wanted To Be A Boxer Because Of Mike Tyson

Glover Teixeira moved from Brazil to Danbury, Connecticut with the prospect of landscaping to make money for his family. Teixeira also had bigger plans with the move, however, and his plans were to compete in boxing after becoming a massive Mike Tyson fan in the '90s.

Teixeira told a friend of his boxing plans to much confusion. The friend asked Teixeira why not try Brazilian jiu jutsu, but Teixeira had never heard of it. Teixeira eventually found VHS tapes of UFC 1 and 2, saw Royce Gracie, and changed his path.

9 He Trained With Chuck Liddell

With Teixeira changing his plans, he decided to begin training in MMA. After Teixeira beat one of his own fighters early in his career, famed MMA coach John Hackleman invited the Brazilian to move to California to train him.

Teixeira eventually agreed and moved there to train under Hackleman's tutelage. Teixeira quickly became the number one training partner of UFC star Chuck Liddell, who began praising Teixeria, which led to him becoming one of the most hyped prospects in MMA.

8 He Missed Years Of Fighting By Having To Leave America

Teixeira's hype was building, getting to a 7-2 record as of 2008. However, his hype and his life were quickly derailed. When Teixeira moved to America in 1999, he did so illegally, which eventually forced him to leave the country.

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Teixeira eventually returned to Brazil in 2008. Teixeira's career took a massive hit as a result, and couldn't get a VISA back to the United States for four years.

7 He Was Signed To UFC in 2012

Over the next four years in Brazil, Teixeira built his record to a stellar 17-2. Following a knockout win over former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez, he was signed to the promotion in 2012.

Teixeira, despite the signing was still unable to make his way to America. As a result, his first two bouts in the promotion were contested in Brazil as well, besting Fabio Maldonaldo and Kyle Kingsbury in his octagon appearances.

6 He Quickly Earned A Title Shot

Glover Teixeira lived up to the hype in his first few fights in America. After earning a work VISA to fight in the US, he quickly began to earn big fights in the promotion. His first three bouts were Rampage Jackson, James Tu-Huna, and Ryan Bader.

Teixeira earned a clean sweep over his opponents. His last win over Bader was a stunning first-round knockout to earn a title shot against then-champion Jon Jones.

5 His Loss To Jon Jones

UFC 172 was the stage for Glover Teixeira's big moment. After 15 years of training, he finally got a crack at a UFC title. However, the issue was that he WAS facing arguably the greatest fighter of all time, Jon Jones.

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Teixeira got battered in the fight. He showed heart but cleanly lost every single round of the fight en route to a unanimous decision loss, which would hurt his position in the UFC for a while.

4 His Rapid Decline

Glover Teixeira, following his loss to Jon Jones, seemingly fell off a cliff. He was getting older so a dropoff wasn't unexpected, but he quickly began losing most of his fights to top contenders over the next years. Most of the losses were in dominant fashion as well.

Teixeira went 5-4 over his next nine bouts following the Jones loss. While that's not a terrible record, he suffered terrible losses during that stretch to the likes of Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Johnson, and Corey Anderson.

3 His Improbable Turnaround

Following his loss to Corey Anderson, it seemed that Teixeira's career was only going to keep going downhill. Out of the top-10 rankings and only getting older, the Brazilian's career seemed like it was going to keep on getting worse.

Instead, Teixeira pulled off one of the most improbable turnarounds in MMA history. Over the next two years, Teixeira would rack up five straight wins with victories over Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos to secure a title shot.

2 His Victory Over Jan Blachowicz

Glover Teixeira was in the main event of UFC 267, facing off against then-champion Jan Blachowicz in his second bid for undisputed gold. The Brazilian was once again a massive underdog in this one, which was no surprise as he was 42 years old.

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Teixeira made it look easy. Taking down and dominating Blachowicz on the ground in round one. He rocked the Polish champion in round two before getting a rear-naked-choke finish to become UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

1 He's The Oldest First-Time UFC Champion

Randy Couture was once the oldest UFC Champion, as he first captured the UFC title at the age of 37. With his win over Jan Blachowicz at UFC 267, Teixeira became the oldest first-time UFC Champion in the process as well.

Teixeira at the age of 42 is an ageless wonder. While his next fight hasn't yet been booked, he's expected to fight Jiri Prochazka in his next octagon appearance and is once again likely to be a massive underdog. But Teixeira wouldn't have it any other way.