Glover Teixeira’s recent win over Kyle Kingsbury put the rest of the light heavyweight division on notice, and some fans already consider him to be a legitimate contender.
The Brazilian, who has spent 10 years in the sport, made his UFC debut this past weekend at UFC 146.
The win extended his professional record to 18-2, but it was a satisfying victory for the Brazilian, who the company has been trying to pursue for three years. However, visa issues had prevented him from competing.
“Even with it being my first fight in the UFC, I wasn’t nervous at all. I was very calm and relaxed, maybe because of all my fights before,” Teixeira said in an exclusive interview with BloodyElbow.com.
“Things happen for a reason, so I’m happy with the way everything is going. The past is the past, and I can’t go back in time to change anything.”
After building up quite the resume for himself before coming to the UFC, Teixeira is now looking to make a name for himself at 205 pounds.
In hopes of prolonging his tenure in the light heavyweight division, Teixeira welcomes all challengers and is prepared to fight anyone.
Unless, of course, that one challenger is Lyoto Machida.
“Right now, the one I wouldn’t want to fight is Lyoto Machida,” he said. “I’ve trained with him, I help him out and he’s a great guy. Whatever they tell me to do, I’ll do, but if I could have a say, Lyoto would be the one I wouldn’t want to fight.”
Teixeira’s presence adds more depth to the 205-pound division, and he boasts all the skills to become a title contender at some point, but his refusal to face one of his friends will not go over well with UFC president Dana White.
Machida remains one of the top competitors in the UFC. In order for Teixeira to move ahead in his division, he may have to set his personal feelings aside.
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