Glover Teixeira has confirmed that he will officially serve as a backup fighter for Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya’s fight for the Light Heavyweight belt. Similar to how Michael Chandler journeyed to Fight Island in order to serve as a cover for Nurmagomedov vs Gaethje, Teixeira will make weight in case either fighter drops out.
According to MMA Fighting, Teixeira confrimed the news via text message, stating that “I’ll be backup and will have to go there and make weight.” Teixeira will supposedly be finincially compensated for his troubles, in regards to his fight camp and weight cut.
AGE IS JUST A NUMBER!
@GloverTeixeira gets the finish in RD 3⃣. #UFCVegas13 pic.twitter.com/gyFuea8T4N
— UFC (@ufc) November 8, 2020
Despite being nearly 40 fights into his career, Glover is in as good a run of form as he has ever been in his UFC career. A 5 fight win streak, which includes victories over high-level competition such as Thiago Santos, Ion Cutelaba and Anthony Smith. Teixeira has previously stated that he believed that Dana White would give him an immediate title shot, following his victory over Santos. However, it would appear that he has since accepted that the 185lb champion, Israel Adesanya, is currently ahead of him in the pecking order.
Adesanya is currently one of the UFC’s most popular fighters, with an impressive 20-0 record, having dispatched the majority of his own divisions elite. Having previously fought up at light heavyweight during his kickboxing career, the Blachowicz fight seems the most natural step forward for ‘The Last Stylebender.’
Do you think Adesanya deserves a shot at the 215lb title before Glover Teixeira? Let us know in the comments.