The pre-fight interactions between Blachowicz and Teixeira are so pure.
Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira are two of the nicest fighters on the UFC roster, and this pre-fight interaction is proof of that assertion.
Blachowicz and Teixeira will vie for the light heavyweight championship at UFC 267 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. However, before both men step inside of the Octagon opposite of one another, there was a cause for celebration. Teixeira turned 42 on Thursday and Blachowicz joined in on the festivities by not only serenading his opponent with a fine rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ at the end of their pre-fight press conference, but also presenting him with a bottle of Polish beer, which he dubbed the ‘best beer in Poland’ shortly after official weigh-ins.
You can watch the moment between Blachowicz and Teixeira below, courtesy of the UFC:
“Respect always. Tomorrow we throw down.” @JanBlachowicz gave @GloverTeixeira a birthday present ahead of their title fight
[ #UFC267 | Tomorrow | 10:30 | 2 | LIVE on ESPN+ | @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/5L6z96xFJl
— UFC (@ufc) October 29, 2021
Teixeira accepted the gift and thanked Blachowicz for it again in an Instagram post.
“That’s how the sport should be,” wrote Teixeira. “Respect always. Tomorrow we throw down. May the best man win. Thank you for the gift [Jan Blachowicz].
Blachowicz goes for his second title defense of the 205-pound title, which he acquired at UFC 253 with a second-round technical knockout of Dominick Reyes. The Polish champion successfully defended his title a few months later at UFC 259, where he defeated Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision.
Teixeira looks to dethrone the champion in what is his second championship opportunity in the UFC. The Brazilian contender previously fell to former light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones at UFC 172 but has since had a career resurgence and worked his way back into title contention. In recent years, Teixeira has defeated the likes of Karl Roberson, Ion Cutelaba, Nikita Krylov, Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos to earn another title shot.
Blachowicz vs. Teixeira serves as the headliner of UFC 267. Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen meet for the interim bantamweight championship in the co-headliner, and Islam Makhachev welcomes Dan Hooker in a feature lightweight fight.