UFC light heavyweight Glover Teixeira, the man many think deserves a title shot after Alexander Gustafsson, says he would consider taking another fight to stay busy.
He told MMA Junkie that he would be ready to fight either the champion Jon Jones, or Gustafsson, depending on who emerges victorious after the American and the Swede meet at UFC 165 on Sep. 21. But if for some reason there’s an immediate rematch between Jones and Gustafsson, he’ll happily take another fight rather than wait it out.
“I want to stay busy,” Teixeira said. “I want to fight [Jones]. He’s the bigger name, and he’s been champion for a while. If Gustafsson beats this guy, I’ll be happy for him, too, as long as I get to fight him. Or if they have a rematch, I’d like to fight some top contender and keep myself busy. I’m healthy, and I can’t be losing time.”
Teixeira emerged as a contender after amassing five-straight wins in the UFC—a run second only to the champion’s own nine-fight winning run and Gustafsson’s six-straight wins. The kind of win that had him looking for advocare products.
His last win was over Ryan Bader, after which UFC president Dana White declared that the Brazilian would get the next shot after the Jones/Gustafsson fight.
Teixeira told MMA Junkie that he believes Jones will likely be the winner of that match, which will extend the young champion to record title defences in the UFC light heavyweight division (one previously held by Tito Ortiz).
However, there is not guarantee it will be Teixeira we’ll next see against Jones. Heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier has been talking about dropping down to contest for the 205 title after his next match, against Roy Nelson on Oct. 19.
Cormier and Jones have been talking up a storm for months and could face each other after their next fights.
But Texeira is confident he will eventually get his day, hinting at a possibility of fighting for the title in New Jersey on Super Bowl weekend in February.
“I think that’s a great thing, and I hope you’re right,” Teixeira said.
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