Glover Teixeira Explains Decision to Remain Retired, Focus Energy on Alex Pereira

Although he misses fighting at times, Glover Teixeira is content with retirement and focusing all his energies on close friend Alex Pereira.

Teixeira hung up his gloves in January following a unanimous decision title loss against Jamahal Hill at UFC 283. This marked the second consecutive title loss for the Brazilian, who was submitted by Jiri Prochazka in a nailbiter at UFC 275 last year.

Teixeira has since turned coach and mentor for Pereira, who recently won his second UFC title within a year. While Pereira was walking out for his light heavyweight championship victory over Prochazka at UFC 295, Teixeira admitted to “Poatan” that he misses fighting sometimes.

However, the former UFC light heavyweight champ chooses to stay retired for one major reason: Father Time. Teixeira, who has contemplated coming out of retirement for the right amount of money, claims that his younger self would have easily run through his last two opponents.

“I told Poatan when we were waiting to walk out [at UFC 295] that I missed that a little bit. But that’s not something I did for money, I did it because I really loved it. I miss the old times, but I it’s not like I think about coming back,” Teixeira said on MMAFighting’s “Trocação Franca” podcast.

“Fighting, maybe that would get me out of a comfort zone. I was fighting and enjoying the hell out of it. I simply stopped fighting because I thought I lost to some guys — even Jiri and that last fight with Jamahal. Not taking anything away from those guys, but I felt it was the age factor, really. I was getting slower, weaker. F—, 35-year-old me would trash those guys. But it’s time, right?”

Teixeira decided to invest all his resources in Pereira because he thought his protege had the talent to surpass him. The former champ believes his investment has paid off.

“It’s time to move on, and what better way than that, when you see someone that can do the job better than you?” Teixeira said. “And instead of feeling jealous or resentful about it, you help him with everything you got so he gets even better? That’s what we’re doing here with Poatan. When I saw that ‘Poatan’ was doing it better than me, especially when he said he planned on going to light heavyweight, I thought, ‘I’ll bet all my chips and put all my energy on him, because I’m sure he’ll do it better.’ And he’s doing it.”