UFC light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira pleaded with UFC president Dana White to get the next title shot at 205lbs.
At UFC Vegas 13, Teixeira defeated top contender Thiago Santos via third-round submission in a back-and-forth war that won “Fight of the Night” honors. It’s the fifth straight win for Teixeira, who figures to take Santos’ spot at the top contender in the division. But it still might not be enough to earn him the next title shot against UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz instead of middleweight champ Israel Adesanya.
Speaking to UFC commentator Jon Anik in a post-fight interview following his incredible win over Santos, Teixeira pleaded with White and the UFC to do the right thing and give the aging legend his much-deserved shot at the 205lbs belt (Via ESPN’s Ariel Helwani).
Teixeira: "Dana White, man. C'mon.
"You gonna give a shot to Adesanya? I'm 41 years old, man. Don’t make me wait. … but either way I'm so glad to be here, thank you Dana, thank you UFC."
Classic Glover right there.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 8, 2020
Teixeira: “Dana White, man. C’mon.
“You gonna give a shot to Adesanya? I’m 41 years old, man. Don’t make me wait. … but either way I’m so glad to be here, thank you Dana, thank you UFC.”
Classic Glover right there.
Since Teixeira is 41 years old, he doesn’t have much time in his career left to fight for the title. After winning his last five straight fights, Teixeira absolutely deserves to fight for the belt again. The last time Teixeira fought for the light heavyweight title was back in 2014 when he lost a decision to Jon Jones. He deserves another chance at it in 2021.
The UFC is all about booking big fights and clearly, the promotion is a fan of Adesanya fighting Blachowicz for the belt, but early sentiment on social media seems to indicate that many fans and media believe Teixeira has earned his shot at the title. Adesanya is still the front-runner to get the shot, but maybe White would considering something else.
Do you think Glover Teixeira or Israel Adesanya should get the next title shot at 205?