The UFC's light heavyweight division will take center stage at UFC 259 when champion Jan Blachowicz defends his title against UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, but Glover Teixeira is waiting in the wings.
Teixeira, the numbe rone contender, is man that has kind of been on the backburner so Adesanya can have this title shot. The Brazillian veteran who is now 41-years-old doesn't have time to waste and has been on a roll as of late, currently riding a five-fight winning streak with his most recent wins coming via finishes over former title challengers Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos. Speaking with MMAJunkie Radio, Teixeira talked about why he believes his next fight should be against the winner of Blachowicz and Adesanya.
“But really man, I’m in a position where my next fight should be a title fight. I beat all the guys they put in my way. I beat Thiago, who had fought for the title and then he fought me, and if he won that fight, he would’ve probably gotten the title (shot) anyway," Teixeira said. “And the thing is to be impressive in your wins, and that’s what I did out there. The two guy that Jon Jones didn’t finish, I finished them in 2020. I think I should be the next guy for the title.”
Teixeira isn't waiting around though for that title shot, he's planning on staying ready in case something happens to one of the two fighters competing in the UFC 259 main event and hopes the promotions will make him the primary backup for the bout.
“A guy can get a cold or break a finger and pull out like that,” he said. “They’re not going to put everything on the line with a little hurt here or a little hurt there. If I’m ready to go, I’ll take the fight right away. I think it’s a possibility. If either of those guys get hurt, I should be ready to go if UFC wants to make sure 100 percent.”
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