By Ariel Helwani @arielhelwani on Sep 26 2013, 8:20a
Alexander Gustafsson will have to wait before getting another crack at the UFC light heavyweight title.
Jon Jones’ next title defense will be against Glover Teixeira, possibly as soon as Feb. 1 in Newark, N.J., UFC president Dana White told ESPN.com Wednesday.
“That’s what the champ wants,” White said. “We’ll probably have that fight on the Super Bowl card in New Jersey.”
White added that Gustafsson will fight again “around the same time” in his home country of Sweden, but he didn’t have an exact date or opponent lined up yet.
Jones (19-1) defeated Gustafsson (15-2) via unanimous decision last weekend at UFC 165, in what many consider to be the best light heavyweight title fight of all-time.
Team Jones initially feared he broke his left foot early in the fight, but an MRI on Wednesday revealed there was no structural damage to his foot, only deep bruising.
“Bones” told FOX Sports 1′s “UFC Tonight” on Wednesday that he initially thought the most fair thing to do was grant Gustafsson an immediate rematch because the fight was so close, however, after watching the fight over ten times since Saturday night, he now believes that he decisively won rounds two, four and five. As a result, the champion now thinks “the most fair thing to do is grant the next deserving contender” a shot at the title, he said.
That next contender is Teixeira (22-2), who has won his last 20 in a row, including five straight inside the Octagon. The Brazilian most recently defeated Ryan Bader via first-round TKO last month.
Historically, the UFC has held its Super Bowl weekend card in Las Vegas, however, since this year’s game, which will take place in New Jersey, will air on FOX, the promotion decided to move it to Newark.
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By Thomas Gerbasi September 04, 2013
UFC light heavyweight Glover TeixeiraIf you were someone who grew up in the 80s or 90s, the look on the face of Glover Teixeira after his UFC 160 win over James Te Huna in May was one you could easily understand. Sure, it was great for the Brazilian to get his fourth consecutive UFC victory without a loss, and to finish it to earn Submission of the Night honors, but when boxing legend Mike Tyson entered the Octagon to congratulate Teixeira, that lifted the night into a whole new stratosphere of memorable.
“It was great,” said Teixeira. “Tyson went into the ring and I couldn’t believe it. I never thought in my life that he was gonna be there one day and it happened. I’m so glad that it happened because it was a dream come true.”
From Dreams to Destiny
One of many thus far for a fighter who many thought for years was destined to never fight in the UFC. But once he got visa issues straightened out and was brought into the organization in 2012, it’s been one big moment after the other, whether it was simply fighting in the UFC, returning home to fight in Brazil as a member of the roster, beating Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in a network-televised FOX bout, or meeting “Iron Mike.”
Next item to scratch off the bucket list? Fighting in a UFC main event in Brazil, which he will do tonight against Ryan Bader.
“Fighting in Brazil is always good,” he said. “You’re in your hometown, you see your home country, and since I’m fighting in my home state my family and a lot of friends that I’ve known for a long time are gonna be there, so I’m very excited. I’ve been working to get in the UFC for a long time and fighting in a main event of the UFC is always great anywhere, but it makes it really special to fight in my home state. It’s even better.”
Teixeira meets Mike Tyson following UFC 160A favorite of hardcore fans for years, as he turned back the challenges of big names like Ricco Rodriguez, Marvin Eastman, Sokoudjou, andMarcio Cruz, the Minas Gerais native didn’t waste any time introducing himself to UFC fans, winning four times in his first 12 months to extend his winning streak of more than seven years to 19. To say it’s been a whirlwind would be downplaying things, because as he approaches tonight’s bout, a win could put him next in line to face the winner of this month’s light heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and challengerAlexander Gustafsson. It’s a fight Teixeira believes will see Jones extend his reign at the top.
“I believe Jones is probably gonna take it,” said Teixeira. “The guy’s good, and I think it would be good to fight him. He’s been the champion for so long.”
Confidence and Consistency
Jones also owns a second round submission win over Bader in 2011, making it a possible measuring stick and marketing point should Teixeira beat the former Ultimate Fighter winner more impressively or quicker. Two years is a long time though, and Teixeira is expecting a fight out of the Arizonan.
“He’s a tough guy and a very strong opponent,” said Teixeira. “He’s very strong, a very good wrestler, and he’s got power in the hands, so he’s a dangerous fighter. But I’m confident I can beat him anywhere and I’m going over there prepared for five rounds and to bring it to this guy. I think it’s gonna be a good fight.”
Teixeira’s confidence doesn’t just stem from his winning streak, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and heavy hands though; he’s also a two-time Brazilian national champion in wrestling, something he chooses to downplay heading into the bout.
“As a wrestler I’m confident, but I’m also confident in my MMA skills, and I think in MMA I can wrestle anybody,” he said. “But I’m not going to even compare myself to Ryan Bader in wrestling with the name and the background he has. But we’re not going to be in a wrestling match.”
No they’re not, so Teixeira will go wherever he needs to go to pick up the win, whether it’s standing, on the mat, or over the five round distance. And at 33, Teixeira knows that it’s not flash that gets you to the top, but a well-rounded attack that can give any opponent nightmares. That means a lot of hours in the gym with the American Top Team squad in Coconut Creek, Florida and the realization that to earn a world championship, sacrifices have to be made, including leaving his family in Connecticut behind when it’s time to go to work.
Teixeira shows his power against Rampage Jackson“It’s part of the game and everybody has to do that,” he said. “You’ve got to sacrifice to get the victory, but in the end, it’s all good things. When you train and have no injuries, you feel really good every day, and when you’ve got a big fight coming up, all you think about is the fight, and I think it’s better. I’ve never done a camp in my house, with my family and with my wife, so I don’t even know how that would be. Maybe in the future I’ll try one, but so far it’s been great, so I’m not gonna change it now.”
Consistency may be Teixeira’s greatest attribute, and that’s what makes him tough to beat. In fact, the only thing that may slow him down on the road to the belt is being distracted by what’s ahead of him should he beat Bader. But he’s trying not to let that be an issue.
“It’s a tough fight coming up, but it (winning the title) is a dream, so you always look ahead,” he said. “It’s my dream to become a champion, it’s my dream to be fighting for a championship belt, so in a way I do (look ahead), but I’m focused and I’m not looking past this fight in any way. I’m thinking at the end of the night, I’m gonna be the winner, and yeah, it would be awesome if I can fight for the title after that.”
Born in Sobralia, Brazil, Teixeira wanted to be 100-meter sprinter or a rodeo rider, but he gave up those ideas to move to the United States for better opportunities. At 19 years old, he needed 48 days to travel illegally from Sobralia to the U.S. Three years later, a single video tape of Royce Gracie’s fights changed his future.
While doing landscaping to make a living in Connecticut, Teixeira started training. As chance would have it, he would soon cross paths with Chuck Liddell, who was the UFC champion at that time. After racking up a 7-2 record in MMA with six finishes, the Brazilian was offered a contract with the UFC. He was living illegally in the U.S. at the time, so he wasn’t able to sign the deal. Teixeira decided to return to Brazil and re-enter the U.S. legally, but it was too late.
Forced to live in Brazil, Teixeira moved to Rio de Janeiro and started training with Pedro Rizzo and Marco Ruas. He won 10 bouts in Brazil, finishing nine of his opponents, before finally being granted a visa to return to the U.S. The UFC waited for him, and signed the 17-2 Brazilian to a contract.
“I’m really happy for what’s happening in my career,” Teixeira told MMAFighting.com. “After everything I went through, now it’s only joy for me. I was talking to some friends at the gym the other day and Caio Magalhaes said, ‘that’s why you are so calm when you fight.’ After everything I went through, I’m living the dream, win or lose.”
Teixeira was 30 years old when he finally debuted in the UFC.
“I thought about a lot of things, but everybody has tough moments,” he said. “I always believed that sooner or later I’d be in the UFC to show what I can do.”
Texeira hasn’t skipped a beat, either. He’s gone 4-0 in the UFC, with victories over Fabio Maldonado (TKO) and former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (decision). He’s garnered enough buzz that it’s been hinted that a victory over Ryan Bader on Sept. 4 in Belo Horizonte at UFC Fight Night 28 could earn him a shot at the title.
But for a man who was forced to wait three years to sign in the UFC, Teixeira’s in no particular hurry.
“My dream is to fight for the belt, it would be awesome,” he said. “But I’m focused now on this fight. I want to defeat Bader and then we’ll think about the title.”
Teixiera has a big hurdle in front of him with Bader, but he believes he has what it takes to win the gold. He’s not alone. Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Marco Ruas all see him as the man to stop current light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, should that match-up happen.
“I truly believe in my weapons, I believe I can beat [Jones],” he said. “I thank my friends for trusting in me, people that saw what I can do while training. I can’t say too much, I have to go there and win. We will see when the time comes. I’m getting closer to where I want to be and I don’t feel any pressure because of that. I love to fight, I love to be there. On my first fights in the UFC I felt a little nervous, but I don’t feel that anymore. I’m used to that already.
“Jon Jones is a good fighter,” he added. “He’s a great wrestler and striker, but his best weapon is his intelligence. He fights the fight his way, and that makes him victorious.”
Bader, the man in his way, is coming off a 50-second submission victory over Vladimir Matyushenko.
“It’s going to be a great fight,” said Teixeira. “Ryan Bader is a great and strong fighter, but I will be well prepared to beat him in every aspect of the fight. I’m ready for a war. You can’t predict how a fight will go. I’m not a guy that competed in jiu-jitsu, boxing or wrestling, that you say, ‘oh, he’s phenomenal on the ground or standing.’ I’m an MMA fighter, and I will fight wherever I see I can win. Ryan Bader is good in all areas, especially in wrestling and striking, so he has his weapons.”
Even with the escalating stakes, Teixeira says he won’t dial things back and play it safe.
“I will fight like I always do, keeping pressure on the opponent and trying to finish the fight all the time,” he said. “They promised [the title shot], but they can change their minds, so I’m not worried about that now.”
Teixeira has never fought in his home state of Minas Gerais, and headlining a UFC card there means most of his friends and relatives will be inside the arena to support him.
“I’m ready, and it feels great to fight in front of my family and friends,” he said. “I always dreamed about fighting in the main event of the UFC no matter where, and fighting in Minas Gerais is the best feeling in the world. Not everybody’s coming because Sobralia is really far from Belo Horizonte, but my family and a few friends will be there. It’s the first time they will watch me fight live. I believe they will be more nervous than me, but I don’t feel any pressure because of that.”
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Lyoto Machida has chosen a new path to UFC gold.
After dropping a close and controversial decision to Phil Davis at UFC 163, Machida abandoned the light heavyweight division, opting to test his skills at 185 for the foreseeable future.
The move is significant and potentially career-changing for “The Dragon.”
Machida poses problems for everybody at middleweight for a variety of reasons, a fact which will quickly land him in title contention.
So, start the slideshow to see why the Karate master will rocket up the middleweight rankings.