“Six years ago, I lost two fights in a row, Jon Jones and Phil Davis, and people were saying, ‘Glover is done,’” he said. “Then I got back in title contention again and I lost it again, but I keep grinding, I keep going, I keep pushing and I keep getting better.”
And there’s why Teixeira, at 40, has found a second wind. Unlike most fighters, who keep the same style throughout their career, only to find trouble when Father Time starts knocking on the door, Teixeira made the adjustments he needed to when what used to work wasn’t anymore. Maybe that’s why the hard-hitting slugger dusted off his jiu-jitsu black belt to submit Roberson and Cutelaba. That attitude, along with some help from the folks at the UFC Performance Institute and a willingness to train smarter, not harder, has Mr. T in range for another shot at the belt.
“You always want to get better,” Teixeira said. “Mistakes come, I lost fights here and there, but I’m in a stage in my life right now where I’m not stressed as much as I was. I’m always a happy guy and not too stressed, but when it comes to camp, I was always training so much and so hard, and sometimes I overdo it. At this time in my life, I feel I got the point. I reached out for help and the UFC PI has been amazing to me. The people there, the conditioning coaches, the Trifecta food, and it’s so much easier to do camp. It’s been amazing.
