Glover Teixeira spent nearly two decades chasing his dreams the old fashion way. In combat sports, that means planting leather on skulls en route to becoming a UFC champion.
Teixeira, in his 40th professional MMA fight, dethroned Jan Blachowicz to become the UFC light heavyweight champion. He set the record for oldest first-time UFC champion at age 42. Teixeira, who recently sat down with "Morning Kombat" for its "Room Service Diaries" interview series, noted that he has reaped the rewards of his old-school mentality, but he has no qualms with the modern fight game. Predicated on Twitter trash talk and a robust Instagram following, Teixeira encourages those around him to use the resources he has no desire to. As a businessman, he appreciates it. As a fan, he finds it frustrating.
"I think it's great. I think that is where the money is. I tell my nephew, I tell all my students in the gym, I say, 'Hey, man. Be respectful. Be polite, but be funny. Try and do something. Get out there.' As I said, I'm satisfied with what I do and who I am. I really never cared about this shit so why would I complain? Why would I complain about not having followers on Instagram or I don't have a big fight? I never really cared about this so I never put my face out there to make the big money. I'm over there to fight and to be a champion and to be the best. And, of course, by being the best you're going to make money automatically.
"Today you put a boring fighter out there. Right now, a lot of the boring fighters talk. They talk so they still sell. They fight like shit but they talk... It pisses me off as a fan. This f---ing guy talks all that shit and didn't back it up. As a fan, yes. But as a business, I think it's doing the right thing."
Can't get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including the comprehensive interview with UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira below.
Teixiera is set to defend his UFC title against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 275 on Saturday, June 11. He admits that he has accomplished everything that he set out to 20 years ago.
"I'm happy with everything that is happening to me," Teixeira said. "I wanted to be a champion of the world. It took me long enough to become the champion of the world. I'm so happy with my life financially. I am super happy. I am all set to retire in my last fight if I wanted to. But I want to keep fighting. I have my gym that is doing really good. I have other investments. I have my house in Brazil. These are simple things. I live simply. If you go into my house, I didn't go crazy. I live simple and I live nice."
