Glover Teixeira explains what prompted him to retire in the cage at UFC 283
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira explained what prompted him to retire in the cage at UFC 283.
Teixeira fought Jamahal Hill for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 283 last month in Brazil. The fight did not go Teixeira’s way, as he lost a unanimous decision and took a lot of damage in the process. Immediately after the fight was over, Teixeira laid down his gloves in the Octagon, confirming his retirement from the sport.
While some may have thought that Teixeira pre-determined before the fight that he was going to retire from MMA, it was in fact a decision that he made at that moment in time. Speaking to AG Fight in a recent interview, Teixeira confirmed that he made the choice to lay his gloves down after seeing how the fight with Hill went. Had he won, he planned on continuing fighting, but because he lost and took so much damage, he decided that it was time to hang them up.
“That’s why I retired. Because being there and not being able to deal with the distance and all that anymore. I was already tired of losing weight and the guy fought well, he was faster, you have to give him credit. It was something decided right then and there. The way the fight was going, because I wasn’t able to find the distance, taking a lot of hits. There was a time when I put him down there in the last round and I couldn’t finish. It was the decision I made right then and there. Of course if I won I would continue, I would defend the belt, that was the plan. But that’s what happened at the time,” Teixeira said.
Do you think Glover Teixeira made the right call retiring after his loss to Jamahal Hill at UFC 283?
