Anthony Smith explains why he is rooting for Glover Teixeira to win the UFC light heavyweight title

Top-ranked title contender Anthony Smith explained why he is rooting for Glover Teixeira to win the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 267.

At age 41, Teixeira will step into the Octagon next month in the main event of UFC 267 when he fights UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz for the belt. It should be an exceptional matchup between two elite 205lbers who have been around the game for a long time, and it’s also nice to see Teixeira get rewarded with a title shot after going on a long winning streak later in his career. If you ask Smith, seeing what Teixeira has been doing lately in the Octagon is truly special, and it’s part of the reason why he wants his former opponent to pull off the upset and pick up the win over Blachowicz in October.

“I really like Jan. Huge fan of him and how he carries himself. I think he’s a fantastic champion, fantastic competitor. I hear nothing but good things about who he is as a person. I’d love to drink beer with him sometime. But goddamnit, I just need Glover Teixeira to win. And not because he beat me (in May 2020) and it makes me look better. I just think that man just deserves it, you know?” Anthony Smith told The MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani.

“Like, if Glover Teixeira can sail off into the sunset someday, at least for that moment in time wearing a 12-pound gold belt around his waist, I just think that would put a lot of good into the world. That gives a lot of people like me hope and it motivates a lot of older guys, and it’s just a feel-good story. So I hope Glover (wins).”

Do you think Glover Teixeira will be able to dethrone Jan Blachowicz at UFC 267 and capture the UFC light heavyweight title at 41 years old?