Glover Teixeira age, record, net worth and more
Glover Teixeira is a 42-year-old MMA fighter and is currently the UFC light heavyweight champion. The Brazilian has a professional MMA record of 33-7 and has a UFC record of 16-5.
Teixeira made his UFC debut in 2012 against Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir. However, the 42-year-old had to wait until 2021 to finally win the UFC title. He beat Jan Błachowicz via submission in round two to secure the light heavyweight crown.
As of January 2022, Glover Teixeira reportedly has a net worth of $8,000,000 (Source: Surprise Sports). This comes from his earnings in the UFC, sponsorships and investments in his personal life.
However, life hasn't always been easy for the UFC champion, who had to wait nearly 10 years to win a UFC title. Teixeira grew up in a rural town in Sobrália, Brazil. Many of the houses there had very few amenities, with some not having electricity.
In 1999, Glover Teixeira worked as a landscaper in Danbury, Connecticut. It was in Connecticut where the Brazilian would meet his wife and also fall in love with boxing.
After being inspired by the early UFC events, Teixeira would eventually start training Brazilian jiu-jitsu alongside his regular boxing training. The 42-year-old eventually made his professional MMA debut in 2002, losing to Eric Schwartz at WEC 3: All or Nothing.
The Brazilian had mixed success in the sport, losing to Ed Herman in his fourth professional bout. However, after this loss in 2005, Teixeira remained unbeaten until 2014 when he lost to Jon Jones at UFC 172.
Daniel Cormier believes Glover Teixeira should stick around in the light heavyweight division
Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier believes that the current lack of a superstar in the light heavyweight division should give Glover Teixeira a reason to keep fighting.
At 42 years old, Teixeira might be thinking about staying in the UFC for only a couple more years. However, Cormier doesn't believe that the current light heavyweight division is a problem for the Brazilian. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, 'DC' stated:
"There ain't no Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier in that weight class for Glover Teixeira right now. Those guys are talented guys and they can all beat you. But in terms of stylistic match ups, they all seem to be pretty good for him. Because he can take them down and they can't deal with the top pressure. So, if I'm Glover, I'm riding it out."
Watch the full Daniel Cormier interview below:
Teixeira is set to face Jiri Prochazka at UFC 275 this weekend. Prochazka is mainly a striker, which validates Cormier's point about the current crop of light heavyweights being favorable matchups for the Brazilian.
'DC' didn't say that today's 205lbs contenders are bad fighters. However, given Teixeira's dominance on the ground, they might not be able to handle the Brazilian stylistically.