Light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira has only lost five times in his UFC career – to former champion Jon Jones, Phil Davis, Anthony Johnson, Alexander Gustafsson, and Corey Anderson. He says the knockout loss to ‘Rumble’ Johnson was his hardest loss.
First KO Loss
Teixeira spoke with Morning Kombat recently about his knockout loss to Johnson.
“The toughest loss was definitely Anthony Johnson because how the fight was. I had never been knocked out before and the fight was so quick. There was also other sh*t that had happened to me,” Teixeira said. “It teaches you but at the same time, it teaches me of who I am and who you are. I read that in a book, that you find who you are when you know who you’re not.”
Teixeira’s inner monk
Teixeira told Morning Kombat that he has to find himself through meditation, similar to those who go to a mountain to isolate themselves.
“Thats what I did, man. I didn’t go to the mountains,” Teixeira laughed. “I had to focus on getting better and say ‘this is not going to take away my drive and will.’ I love to fight, I love to be in shape.”
A good comeback
The 42-year-old champion said he loves a good comeback, which is a theme in many of his fights, especially his last few.
“I love martial arts, the game, the competition. I love the big good fights that go back and forth like [my fights with] Antony Smith, Ion Cutelaba, that I can come back and be like ‘how can I beat this guy?’ The Thiago Santos fight, you know what I mean? I was on the bottom thinking ‘on no the referee cannot stop this fight. I’m only afraid when I get knocked down and think ‘oh jeez, that the ref is going to stop it’ and then I look at the fight and think it wasn’t that bad,” Teixeira said. “When Thiago Santos knocked me down and I was on the ground, all I was thinking was ‘oh my god please don’t stop this fight.'”
Teixeira returns to action at UFC 275 in his first title defense against surging contender Jiri Prochazka, where he might just have to use his epic comeback skills.
