Just when former UFC champion Glover Teixeira seemed content with his new chapter as a coach, he's lacing up the gloves for a boxing match against a fellow legend.
The 46-year-old Teixeira hasn't competed since his final UFC fight, which took place against Jamahal Hill at UFC 283 for the vacant light heavyweight title. He's since been coaching Alex Pereira throughout his championship run, and now has Yousri Belgaroui under his wing as well. While coaching has been fulfilling, Teixeira found an opportunity to return to action.
On Aug. 29, he steps into the ring to box UFC Hall of Famer Mauricio Rua at Spaten Fight Night in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It's a fight that Teixeira wasn't necessarily looking for, but when the right name, right place, and right time
came along, he couldn't say no.
"I'm always training, but every once in a while I put my gloves on, and I play with Alex (Pereira). I play with Yousri (Belgaroui), but nothing crazy, you know, because I don't spar if I'm retired," Teixeira told MMA Junkie. "Then Alex said, 'Glover, you gotta go back and fight.' Then Ana Hissa, she's like, 'Hey, I work with Spaten, they're trying to put a fight together. You wanna fight in Spaten Boxing?' I said, 'Hell yeah, I wanna fight. I love to do boxing.'"
As soon as the 44-year-old Rua's name was mentioned, Teixeira stopped right there and wanted to get that fight done before exploring any other options. "Shogun" agreed, and now the two legends will square off in the ring.
Somehow, the two never crossed paths during their MMA careers. Teixeira said the only opportunity that arose was shortly after his fight against Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 146, when Rua needed a short-notice replacement opponent, but the fight never came to be.
"I fought everybody, he fought everybody, we didn't fight each other – and that's great," Teixeira said. "We retired the same day, here we are. We're gonna go in there and do some boxing and let it out, man."
According to Teixeira, the boxing match is not going to be an exhibition fight with any restrictions. Teixeira plans to go out there and finish the fight. After what he described as a fun fight camp, if another opportunity arises in the future, he'll cross that bridge when he gets to it, but for now, it's about "Shogun" and nothing else.
"It's a fight," Teixeira said. "... We're training hard, no exhibition. We do 10-ounce gloves, and we're going to take his head off. I'm going to take his head off. I'm going for that. I don't know what he wants to do."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Glover Teixeira explains boxing Mauricio Rua, plans to 'take his head off'
