Glover Teixeira Dismisses Title Shot Talk After UFC on Fox 6 Victory Over ‘Rampage’ Jackson
Despite earning the biggest win of his career Saturday night, Glover Teixeira is not ready to name himself the UFC light heavyweight division’s No. 1 contender, nor is he pining for a shot at the winner of Jon Jones’ UFC 159 title defense against Chael Sonnen.
“That’s not my job. The No. 1 contender right now is Chael Sonnen. You have to respect that,” Teixeira told Fox Sports after his unanimous decision victory over Quinton Jackson in the co-main event of UFC on Fox 6. “I think Chael is a good fighter, but I believe Jones is going to keep the title. [Waiting for the winner] is going to take too long. I want to fight before that.”
Advertisement
“He’s tough, man. I knew he was tough. This is a guy who has pride. I hit him with good shots, but he hits hard, too,” said Teixeira. “I couldn’t become cocky in that situation and get caught with a punch, so I took my time. I swear, I hit him hard. I hurt him, and I thought it was going to be a knockout.”
Though the Pit representative never relinquished control of the contest to his battle-tested foe, the Brazil native said the third frame proved to be the most challenging due to a nagging rib issue sustained in training camp. Still, he credits Jackson’s toughness and punching power for forcing him to go the distance.
“I had a little problem with my body before I came to this fight. My rib was a little hurt, and I felt it a little bit in the third round, but there are no excuses. I wasn’t going to [give] excuses if I lost this fight, so there are no excuses [for not finishing my opponent],” said Teixeira. “Quinton is a tough son of a gun. It was just a little problem, and I guarantee he had the same [type] of thing, too. No fighter comes in 100 percent. If you come 100 percent to a fight, it means you’re not training.”
In spite of the well documented pre-fight hype between the men, Teixeira maintains that he has always been a fan of the former champion and his fighting style. Soon after the bout concluded, Teixeira said the veteran reciprocated the attitude, offering both respect and encouragement.
“I’m a big fan of Quinton Jackson. He’s my idol,” said Teixeira. “[After the fight, Jackson] said, ‘Now I’m your fan. Go and be a champion.’ I would never disrespect him. It was amazing. It was a great fight with him.”
Related Articles
