Glover Teixeira returned to his adopted home of Connecticut and got a hero’s welcome after becoming the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
In the main event of the card from Abu Dhabi, Teixeira, who turned 42 during fight week, was a sizeable underdog against Jan Blachowicz. Many expected Blachowicz to win the fight, but Teixeira dominated the first round and then got the submission win in the second to become the new champion.
It was a surreal moment for Glover Teixeira to be a UFC champion and when he got back to Connecticut he got a hero’s welcome.
“Thank you so much for the this everybody from Danbury and bethel,” Teixeira wrote as in the video he is surrounded by fans.
With the win, Teixeira became the second-oldest UFC champion in the promotion’s history but is the oldest first-time UFC titleholder. It has been a long journey for the Brazilian and after the win he was still figuring out words for his emotions. He also has beaten the likes of Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, Jared Cannonier, Rashad Evans, Ryan Bader, and Rampage Jackson among others.
“It feels so amazing. (I’m) so happy. This is what I dreamed for 20 years,” Teixeira said after UFC 267. “Twenty years on the road, ups and downs, I wanted to get this belt. I wanted to be a champion. There was a time there that I thought I would never be a champion, but I love it. I keep believing. I discipline myself the way I have to do it, and now I won this baby.”
With the win, Teixeira will now likely defend his belt against Jiri Prochazka for the first time sometime in early to mid-2022.
What do you make of Glover Teixeira’s hero’s welcome he received in Connecticut after winning the UFC title? Sound off in the comment section, PENN Nation!