Tag: Glover Teixeira

‘Just a few friends training in the garage’: Glover Teixeira trains Alex Pereira with a beer on hand

'Just a few friends training in the garage': Glover Teixeira trains Alex Pereira with a beer on handAhead of his title fight return in two months time in the main event of UFC 307, Alex Pereira…

'Just a few friends training in the garage': Glover Teixeira trains Alex Pereira with a beer on hand

Ahead of his title fight return in two months time in the main event of UFC 307, Alex Pereira appears to be a joy to prepare for combat according to long-time training partner, Glover Teixeira — who admits he often trains the Brazilian while touting a beer in hand.

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight gold holder, and the current undisputed light heavyweight champion, is slated to return in the headliner of UFC 307 at the beginning of October, returning to Salt Lake City, Utah for the second time in the space of a year.

pereira walk

Booked to headline the pay-per-view event, Sao Paulo knockout artist, Pereira is set to take on fellow surging knockout artist, Khalil Rountree — who is fresh from a December stoppage over former title challenger, Anthony Smith last year.

Glover Teixeira breaks down Alex Pereira gameplan ahead of UFC 307

Sharing his thoughts on the matchup with Ultimate Fighter finalist, Rountree, former champion, Teixeira expects the two to share the bout on the feet for the majority of the UFC 307 main event fight.

Alex Pereira branded 'Biggest chicken in the UFC' for calling out Dricus du Plessis

“We prepare for everything,” Glover Teixeira told RG.org of Alex Pereira. “(Khalil) Rountree is a good fighter. We know who he is: tough kid, very good striker… It’s not much different than the other fights, to be honest, because anything can happen. So it’s pretty much the same training for Jamahal Hill or Jiri Prochazka.

Furthermore, according to Minas Gerais veteran, Teixeira, his compatriot Alex Pereira is a joy to train — with the Danbury, Connecticut team plying their trades out of a garage.

Boxing Champion Zhilei Zhang Trains with Alex Pereira, Claims He Can Take Heavyweight Title: ‘He has the power’

“At the end of the day, it’s just a few friends training in the garage, having fun, doing the right thing and conquering the world,” Teixeira explained. “It’s all play, man. At the end of the our lives, we’re just going to look back at the quality moments together. Sometimes, I coach with a beer in my hand.”

Neil Magny Inspired By Teixeira, Couture’s Late UFC Title Success: ‘They Let Us Know It Could Be Done’ (Exclusive)

UFC welterweight veteran Neil Magny still has his eyes on the ultimate prize, and he’s being spurred on by similar late-career success stories. Magny has long had the largely unwanted ‘gatekeeper’ label attached to him at 170 pounds, a weight class in which he holds the records for most wins, most fights, and most Octagon […]

Continue Reading Neil Magny Inspired By Teixeira, Couture’s Late UFC Title Success: ‘They Let Us Know It Could Be Done’ (Exclusive) at MMA News.

UFC welterweight veteran Neil Magny still has his eyes on the ultimate prize, and he’s being spurred on by similar late-career success stories.

Magny has long had the largely unwanted ‘gatekeeper’ label attached to him at 170 pounds, a weight class in which he holds the records for most wins, most fights, and most Octagon time.

Losses to Shavkat Rakhmonov, Gilbert Burns, and Ian Garry since 2021 have prevented “The Haitian Sensation” from making a push up the ladder. But the 37-year-old has maintained a ranking by pushing away challenges from Daniel Rodriguez, Phil Rowe, and Mike Malott.

His most recent victory over Malott came in memorable fashion, as Magny overcame a two-round deficit to stall the highly regarded Canadian’s expected arrival into contention with just 15 seconds remaining at UFC 297 this past January.

And it’ll be a similar assignment for Magny later this month, with the New York City native tasked with defending his spot against another up-and-comer in the unbeaten Michael Morales at the UFC Fight Night on August 24. The bout will mark his first fight since signing a new four-fight contract.

The welterweight vet is expecting to have his hand raised, and more than just keeping out the hungry prospects, he still has his eyes on gold…

Magny Wants To Be More Than Just ‘Competitive’ As He Approaches 40

During an interview with MMA News, Magny looked ahead to his second Octagon outing of 2024 and reiterated his continued championship hopes on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

Title success at such a late age is rare, but certainly not unheard of. Magny specifically pointed to the careers of Glover Teixeira and Randy Couture, both of whom had gold wrapped around their waist after passing 40.

“I have the opportunity to go out there and show them (UFC) I’m still able to be one of the best guys in the world,” Magny said. “Realistically, I have to look at what some of the guys have done before; look at guys like Glover Teixeira and that kind of thing. Glover Teixeira was not only able to be competitive well into his early forties, but also win a championship at 42.

“So, when I look at guys in MMA for longevity, I’m not just looking at guys who were able to just show up to fight and have a coin toss, ‘Maybe I win, maybe I lose.’ I’m looking at the guys who were able to compete at a high level,” Magny continued. “Glover Teixeira, Randy Couture; those guys are the actual examples for the guys that managed to be successful and very competitive well into their forties. For me, that’s my standard. Those are the guys that have done it before, that let us know it could be done.”

Magny will look to move closer to joining the likes of Teixeira and Couture in the champs’ club by making it two wins from two fights against highly touted prospects in 2024.

“The Haitian Sensation’s” clash with the undefeated Morales is set to co-headline the UFC Fight Night on Aug. 24, with a crucial middleweight contest between another veteran pursuing late-career title success, Jared Cannonier, and Caio Borralho taking the main event spotlight.

Continue Reading Neil Magny Inspired By Teixeira, Couture’s Late UFC Title Success: ‘They Let Us Know It Could Be Done’ (Exclusive) at MMA News.

Alex Pereira’s coach sends message to Magomed Ankalaev following Brutal KO of Johnny Walker: ‘See You Soon’

Magomed AnkalaevMagomed Ankalaev may have earned himself another shot at UFC gold following his brutal second-round knockout of Johnny Walker…

Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev may have earned himself another shot at UFC gold following his brutal second-round knockout of Johnny Walker on Saturday night.

After their UFC 294 clash came to a confusing and disappointing end, Ankalaev and Walker kicked off the promotion’s 2024 with a five-round headliner at UFC Vegas 84. Walker came out fast and furious in the opening round, but it didn’t take long for Ankalaev to slow the pace and begin chipping away at his opponent.

As Walker attempted to move in during the second round, Ankalaev uncorked a nasty right hook that sent Walker crashing to the canvas. Ankalaev quickly moved in and landed an absolutely vicious follow-up shot that was enough for the referee to jump in and save Walker from absorbing any further damage.

Following the victory, Magomed Ankalaev called for a light heavyweight title opportunity against the division’s reigning champion, Alex Pereira. That prompted a response from Pereira’s friend and coach, Glover Teixeira.

“Great knockout,” Teixeira wrote on X. “We will see u soon. #UFCFightNight”

UFC Fighters React to Magomed Ankalaev’s Impressive Performance

Teixeira wasn’t the only one who offered their immediate reaction to Magomed Ankalaev’s highlight-reel-worthy win in Las Vegas.

Video: Alex Pereira dupes Glover Teixeira into eating a restaurant napkin in hilarious prank

Alex PereiraIt may be tough to get a smile out of Alex Pereira, but a good old-fashioned prank on his friend and fellow former champion Glover Teixeira always seems to do the trick. Pereira and Teixeira (hey, that rhymes) have emerged as one of the more popular duos in mixed martial arts over the last year. […]

Alex Pereira

It may be tough to get a smile out of Alex Pereira, but a good old-fashioned prank on his friend and fellow former champion Glover Teixeira always seems to do the trick.

Pereira and Teixeira (hey, that rhymes) have emerged as one of the more popular duos in mixed martial arts over the last year. Sadly, Teixeira retired from the sport in January after coming up short against Jamahal Hill at UFC 283, but fans can still see the former light heavyweight king in the corner every time Alex Pereira steps inside the Octagon.

On occasion, we also get a behind-the-scenes look at their friendship outside of the UFC. Most of the time, that involves ‘Poatan’ pulling off some kind of prank on the legendary scrapper, as is the case with Pereira’s most recent clip shared on social media. In the video, which you can see below, Pereira convinces Teixeira that a restaurant napkin is actually something edible.

“Look at the prank I’m going to do to Glover. It’s a napkin to clean hands, and I’ll tell him it’s to eat,” Pereira says in Portuguese, grinning.

“Good, huh?” Teixeira responds in Portuguese after getting handed the dish. “F*ck, man. Damn.”

“Come on, ‘Poatan!’” Teixeira adds after eating it. “F*ck you, man!”

Alex Pereira Looks to Become a Two-Division UFC Champion in November

Alex Pereira will be back in action come November 11 when he looks to capture his second UFC title in as many weight classes. After conquering the middleweight division, ‘Poatan’ has found a new home at light heavyweight and in just his second fight in the division, will challenge ex-titleholder Jiri Prochazka for the vacant crown in the UFC 295 co-main event emanating from the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.

Pereira earned his title opportunity after securing a split-decision victory over Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 in July.

As for Prochazka, the bout will be his first fight since capturing the 205-pound title in a Fight of the Year contender with Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 last year. However, ‘Denisa’ was forced to vacate the belt after sustaining a shoulder injury that required him to undergo corrective surgery. More than a year later, Prochazka will attempt to reclaim the crown against Teixeira’s successor and protege.

Anthony Smith sees Alex Pereira struggling at 205: ‘He’s not the large scary monster he was at middleweight’

Anthony SmithAnthony Smith doesn’t see Alex Pereira posing as much of a threat in the light heavyweight division as he did at 185. ‘Lionheart’ will look to snap a two-fight losing skid this Saturday as the promotion heads to Singapore for a stacked event headlined by the return of fan-favorite Chan Sung Jung, aka The Korean […]

Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith doesn’t see Alex Pereira posing as much of a threat in the light heavyweight division as he did at 185.

‘Lionheart’ will look to snap a two-fight losing skid this Saturday as the promotion heads to Singapore for a stacked event headlined by the return of fan-favorite Chan Sung Jung, aka The Korean Zombie. In the co-main event, Anthony Smith will run back his September 2021 scrap with Ryan Spann. On that night, Smith scored a first-round rear-naked choke submission. He’ll look to repeat that result in Lion City this weekend.

Ahead of his return to the Octagon, Anthony Smith sat down with members of the media to discuss his upcoming contest and the state of the light heavyweight division.

Of course, you can’t talk about the 205-pound weight class without addressing the division debut of former middleweight world champion Alex Pereira. Poatan’ scored a closely-contested split decision over Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 to secure himself an opportunity at light heavyweight gold.

“I like what Alex has brought to the division. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and his game and I just think it would be a really fun fight,” Smith said during his appearance at the UFC Singapore press event. “I think it would bring a little bit of intrigue to the fight just because of Glover and I’s history. Anything I can do to get a win over Glover, I will absolutely do.“

Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira are far from strangers. The pair squared off inside the Octagon in 2020 with Teixeira coming out on top via a fifth-round TKO. In June, the pair competed against one another in a submission grappling match at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4. Teixeira once again saw his hand raised, this time via decision.

“As much as I like that guy and after the grappling thing, him and I, and his wife and mine sat and had some beers and talked about potential matchups with me and Alex and you know, it is what it is,” Pereira continued. “It’s all business. We’re all martial artists and competitors. It’s nothing personal.”

Anthony Smith Sees Alex Pereira Struggling in the Light Heavyweight Division

Speaking about Alex Pereira’s somewhat controversial win over Jan Blachowicz, Anthony Smith suggested that it was an eye-opening experience for the former GLORY Kickboxing world champion.

“It was a really close fight. I think probably 50% of the people had Alex and I think the other half had Jan,” Smith said. “I thought Alex looked pretty good. To be fair, I thought Jan looked pretty good as well. He was able to do a lot of things that Jan Blachowicz typically does to be successful. I think that Alex had a little bit of an eye-opening moment at 205. He’s not the large scary monster that he was at middleweight. He’s a fairly normal dude.

“Now because he’s so technical and has such an incredible striking game, he’s always going to be special, but in terms of just his size and power, he doesn’t stand out amongst all of the 205ers and I don’t think that Alex Pereira is more powerful than Aleksandar Rakic. He’s not going to be stronger than a guy like [Magomed] Ankalaev. These dudes are big, powerful, hard-hitting dudes, every single one of them.

“Because he’s such a good striker, he’s still going to be special, but it’s not going to just be his power and his strength that’s going to push him over the top anymore.”

Video – Glover Teixeira gets a rare smile out of Alex Pereira with makeup prank

Alex PereiraIt seems as though the only person that can get a smile out of Alex Pereira is his close friend and fellow former UFC world champion, Glover Teixeira. Pereira and Teixeira’s relationship has been the subject of many video clips and social media posts over the last year. Oftentimes, those include Teixeira pranking his Brazilian […]

Alex Pereira

It seems as though the only person that can get a smile out of Alex Pereira is his close friend and fellow former UFC world champion, Glover Teixeira.

Pereira and Teixeira’s relationship has been the subject of many video clips and social media posts over the last year. Oftentimes, those include Teixeira pranking his Brazilian brother in various manners. A few months back the former light heavyweight champ caught ‘Poatan’ off guard with an Instagram filter that makes it look like the person looking into the camera has a spider on their head.

Once again, Glover Teixeira was up to his old tricks as Alex Pereira was preparing for an on-camera appearance. Whilst getting some makeup applied behind the scenes, ‘Poatan’ had his eyes closed long enough for Teixeira to step in and take over as the make-up applicator. Opening his eyes, Pereira was both startled and amused.

Alex Pereira is Next in Line for a Light Heavyweight Title Opportunity

Of course, not all the behind-the-scenes moments between Alex Pereira and Glover Teixeira are the latter pulling pranks on the former. Earlier this year, ‘Poatan’ surprised his friend with a brand new Harley Davidson motorcycle in one of the more heartwarming moments between two of the UFC’s most appreciated competitors.

But, Pereira did attempt to drown Teixeira during a bizarre training exercise so maybe it’s best we try not to fully understand their relationship and just roll with it.

Last month, Alex Pereira made his light heavyweight debut at UFC 291, scoring a split-decision victory over former titleholder Jan Blachowicz. With the win, ‘Poatan’ will likely find himself competing for the 205-pound crown in his next appearance. Standing across from him inside the Octagon will likely be ex-champ Jiri Prochazka who is slated to return this fall after recovering from shoulder surgery.