Glover Teixeira discussed several storylines about Alex Pereira’s upcoming fight at UFC 300 and his legacy.
Later this week, Pereira will headline arguably the biggest MMA event of the year when he defends his light heavyweight throne against Jamahal Hill. Ahead of the UFC 300 showdown, the Brazilian world champion’s close friend and mentor, Glover Teixeira, joined Shakiel Mahjouri for an interview to talk about various topics.
Teixeira’s last two MMA fights before retiring were losses against Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill. Coincidentally, Pereira defeated Prochazka for the vacant light heavyweight title and will defend his throne for the first time against Hill, creating a narrative of ‘Poatan’ avenging his mentor’s defeats.
During the interview with Mahjouri, Teixeira had this to say about Pereira getting revenge for him:
“Alex [Pereira] was there rooting for me when I fought Jiri [Prochazka], and Jiri got his hand raised, we were all upset. The next time, Alex went over there and got the title from him to become a champion, and we were all happy about it. It felt good in a way, like hey man, this guy was happy last time, now we got him. Jamahal [Hill] is the same way. It’s not personal things. It’s just a game, it’s just the sport. You go in and try to beat the guy that beat you… I don’t think Alex has that in his mind. He’ll fight anyone because you just want to keep that belt.”
Heading into UFC 300, Hill reportedly reached out to Israel Adesanya, who’s fought Pereira twice in the Octagon and twice in kickboxing, for advice on how to defeat ‘Poatan.’ When asked about ‘Sweet Dreams’ talking to Adesanya, Teixeira reacted by saying:
“Izzy [Adesanya] is a great fighter. He is a great fighter and, for sure, he’s in anybody’s corner, he’s gonna help anybody. Anybody that comes and see something different with a high level, he can definitely be a help, for sure, 100%. It’s just another help. If you say Izzy or Jon Jones, really some high-level guys, it’s all going to help big time because of the experience. It’s not something that’s going to be magic. I say that all the time about me being in Alex’s corner and people saying, ‘Great reason why Alex.’ No, it’s not. Alex would be a champion, he would be where he is, with anybody that have any skills of martial arts… It’s him. It’s just the person he is.”
Glover Teixeira labels Alex Pereira as “one of the greats in mixed martial arts”
There was plenty of skepticism about Alex Pereira’s world champion potential when he transitioned from kickboxing to MMA. Since then, ‘Poatan’ has silenced the doubters by establishing separate title reigns as the UFC middleweight and light heavyweight champion, acquiring several highly-respected wins along the way against Israel Adesanya, Jan Blachowicz, and Jiri Prochazka.
During the previously mentioned interview, Glover Teixeira reflected on Pereira’s legacy by saying:
“It’s beautiful to see, beautiful to see. It’s a blessing to be in the presence of greatness, a great in the sport…We are surrounded here by one of the greats in mixed martial arts. It’s a blessing, it’s a blessing. Plus it’s not just a winner, the person that he is, the personality, the guy is incredible. He is so helpful… He always looks out for people, look out for us and that’s a blessing for sure. That’s a champion, full package there.”
Alex Pereira, a Glory Kickboxing Hall of Famer, has a chance to further his legacy at UFC 300. It’ll be easier said than done, as former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill returns for his first fight since vacating his throne due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. ‘Sweet Dreams’ plans to regain UFC gold and pick up where he left off.
Watch Teixeira’s entire interview below:
