Glover Teixeira willing to serve as backup for Blachowicz vs. Adesanya fight

Glover Teixeira is willing to serve as the backup fighter for the upcoming light heavyweight title fight between Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya.

Blachowicz, the UFC light heavyweight champion, is slated to defend his title against Adesanya, the promotion’s middleweight champion, in the main event of UFC 259 on March 6.

Should either man fail to make it to the cage, it sounds like Teixeira will be willing to answer the call.

“Of course,” Teixeira told MMA Fighting when asked if he would agree to be a backup fighter in March. “I’ll be rooting for… [laughs] It sucks, I’ve never rooted for anyone to get hurt, but I’ll be rooting for an injury there [laughs].

“I just got back from vacation, so I’ll talk to [my manager] ‘Joinha’ [Jorge Guimaraes] and see what we’ll do, but [being a backup fighter] is a possibility,” Teixeira added. “I would have to do a full camp so, even if I have to wait, at least I did a camp, I won’t lose rhythm. Like you said, COVID is complicated, you really have to pull out if you catch it.”

If Glover Teixeira doesn’t get a short-notice title opportunity at UFC 259, it’s difficult to say when he’ll be able to challenge for the belt. If Blachowicz retains the title, he may be next in line. Yet if Adesanya wins, Teixeira could be out of luck, as the middleweight champion may return to his native division to defend his title there.

“If Adesanya wins, what happens then?” Teixeira said. “Will Adesanya defend at 185 or 205? I don’t know. If that means sitting down and waiting until June, August, I don’t know, maybe I would wait, I don’t mind. But, honestly, we don’t know anything. Blachowicz winning would be better for me and everyone else. But if Adesanya wins, what is he going to do? He’s probably going back to 185.”

“Honestly, I’m not stressing about the belt,” Teixeira continued. “It’s superfights, they come up with belts when there are none in line, like the baddest motherf*cker [belt]. It’s about entertaining, and I’m not against that. They see the business side of it, Dana White sees where the money is coming. Honestly, it delays a bit for us but, hey, we have to follow the evolution of the sport, and that’s how the sport is evolving these days.

“When I started fighting, the sport was more about aggressive fighters, knockouts, Wanderlei Silva-style, Chuck Liddell,” Teixeira continued. “To kill or get killed. That’s what I’ve done in my fights. There’s no talk, it’s about going there to kill or get killed. I’ve been knocked out, I go for it no matter who I’m fighting, but that’s not what sells today. I’m stuck with the old school, that’s when I should be fighting. That’s my time. Wanderlei, PRIDE days, Chuck Liddell’s, Tito Ortiz’s…

“I don’t have that in me,” Teixeira concluded. “[Paulo Costa] ‘Borrachinha’ does that really well. I think Brazilians should really do that because it draws attention. You can’t sit and complain. It’s not my thing, but also I’m 41 and I won’t change now. I’ll continue doing what I’ve always done. But if I were young… People talk crap about Borrachinha, but he’s right. He just got here, he’s in his prime, and he’s using that in his advantage. If I had his age and was just getting started in the UFC, I’d talk a lot as well.”

What do you think of these comments from Glover Teixeira? Do you think the 41-year-old Brazilian should sign on as the backup fighter for the UFC 259 main event?