Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
“I heard him and I agree with him and I’m taking him serious. I’m not going to doubt this guy anymore.”
Dana White might be having second thoughts about Israel Adesanya’s getting the next crack at the light heavyweight title, as the UFC president believes Glover Teixeira is a more worthy contender.
Teixeira submitted Thiago Santos in a gruelling fight in last night’s UFC Vegas 13 main event at the UFC Apex Center, and the MMA veteran wasted no time in calling out current champ Jan Blachowicz.
“Dana White, come on man, I’m an old man over here,” Teixeira said in the post-fight interview. “You’re going to give the shot to Adesanya and make me wait? Five fights in a row, beating these young guys. It’s not easy. Give me that title shot.”
White got the message, responding to the Brazilian with a nod of approval.
“He’s not wrong,” White said at the UFC Vegas 13 post-fight show (h/t MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin). “It’s like ‘I deserve this shot,’ he’s been here forever, he’s on a streak. He looked great tonight.
“What’s funny is every time I count this guy out and think that I don’t know if he’s got it, he proves me wrong. He looked incredible tonight.”
White didn’t make any promises but said his days of doubting Teixeira are officially over.
“It’s something we need to figure out. But I heard him and I agree with him and I’m taking him serious. I’m not going to doubt this guy anymore.”
Teixeira, 41, is one of the oldest fighters on the UFC roster but is on a five-fight winning streak and holds notable stoppage victories over Santos and Anthony Smith. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt is currently #1 in the official UFC light heavyweight rankings.