Glover Teixeira discusses Anthony Johnson’s retirement, potential Jimi Manuwa title shot

UFC light heavyweight Glover Teixeira is currently gearing up for his May scrap against former light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson in May in Stockholm, however he has been keeping a close eye on the light heavyweight title picture.

Recently, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier successfully defended his light heavyweight championship against Anthony Johnson in the main event of UFC 210. Following the fight, Johnson left fight fans stunned as he retired from MMA. This was followed by Daniel Cormier’s post-fight Octagon interview, where he acknowledge Jimi Manuwa, a potential light heavyweight #1 contender who has been calling for a title shot for quite some time.

Teixeira spoke to MMAFighting to discuss Manuwa’s claim to a title fight:

“Jimi Manuwa isn’t qualified to fight for the belt,” Teixeira told MMA Fighting. “He didn’t beat any top fighter yet.”

“I think Jimi Manuwa has to beat a top fighter first before thinking about fighting for the belt, or maybe two or three top guys,” Teixeira said. “Jimi Manuwa is down there, in my opinion.”

Teixeira also discussed the retirement of Johnson, who knocked Teixeira out in just 13 seconds:

“I was surprised with his decision,” Teixeira said. “Anthony Johnson still has a lot of miles left, but it’s his decision. Everyone does what’s best for them. You have to respect that.

“It was a mistake to try to wrestle Cormier,” he added, “but nobody knows what was going on in there except for them. Maybe he hurt his hand, we don’t know.”

For Teixeira, he of course is hoping to secure a title shot with a win over Alexander Gustafsson in May, which would make it two-straight for the heavy-handed Brazilian following his UFC 202 KO loss to Anthony Johnson in August. On the other hand, Gustafsson is looking to pick up his 2nd straight win after his September win over Jan Blachowicz.

on 4/27/2017.