Glover Teixeira plans future boxing fights after matchup with Shogun Rua

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SAO PAULO — Glover Teixeira returned from MMA retirement to box Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in a battle of former UFC light heavyweight champions in the main event of Spaten Fight Night 3, which goes down in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Aug. 29, and it’s not a one and done for him. Rua told MMA Fighting earlier this week that he will lay down the gloves after the eight-round boxing clash, but Teixeira takes a different approach to this new venture. “I don’t think I’m going to have a [long] career after this, but I say it’s not my last fight because who knows?” Teixeira said at the pre-fight press conference. “Maybe a good match-up against someone my age. I’ll turn 47 two months after this fight, so I’m not looking to build a career. I’ll leave that to the younger guys. But it’s not my last fight.” Teixeira “trained my ass off” to face Rua, he said, and jokes that his next move in boxing could be “easier” fights against influencers, similar to what former boxing champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas has done over the past few years in Brazil. “Who knows, maybe I’ll fight one of these influencers, like ‘Popó’ [did], an easier fight,” Teixeira said with a laugh. “They put me against Shogun, come on. They can put me against [Kleber] ‘Bambam’, easier match-ups [laughs]. Maybe next time, but right now I’m focused on Shogun and showing what I can do. It’s cool to fight a guy who’s truly honorable, a real fighter, and show that to the public. But who knows, maybe an influencer [next].” Teixeira and Rua were close to fighting in the UFC, but the bout never materialized. It’s finally coming to fruition years later, but with both giving away their best weapons. “I always imagined fighting Shogun thinking about taking him down,” Teixeira said. “‘I’m going to have to get out of the knee and take him down.’ But now they’ve taken away my wrestling, while also taking away his knees and kicks. If he kicks me, I’m going to take him down [laughs]. But we’re going to try to do this with our hands only.” “I’m a fan of this guy,” he continued. “I watched him in PRIDE when I was just starting my fights. There were three guys in PRIDE back then that I dreamed of fighting: Rampage [Jackson], Shogun, and [Ricardo] Arona. I fought Rampage, and now I have the opportunity to fight Shogun. … Aggression is something neither of us lacks when we step into the ring,” he continued. “We always go in there looking for the knockout. My favorite Shogun fight is against Dan Henderson, which was the fight of the year. I was also part of a fight of the year in the UFC, against Jiri [Prochazka], so let’s represent. Hopefully we put on a good fight. I don’t want it to be the fight of the year because that means way too much violence [laughs]. Hopefully Shogun gets tired quickly and quits [laughs].” Both veterans retired on the same night in the UFC in January of 2023, with Teixeira coming up short in his attempt to re-claim the 205-pound title against Jamahal Hill while Rua was stopped by Ihor Potieria, and Teixeira doesn’t see this chance to compete on live television in Brazil as a legacy-defining moment for him. “The legacy has already been built,” Teixeira said. “We became champions and retired on the same night. It’s a privilege to fight Shogun. I’m ready, and I hope he’s ready to put on an incredible fight for the fans on Globo. I know he’s going to look for the knockout, and I’m going to look for the knockout. We’re two dangerous guys with heavy hands, and we’re fighting at heavyweight now, so this fight definitely has everything it needs to end by knockout. But at this point, [legacy] doesn’t really matter much to me, you know? I’m not here to make a name for myself anymore. It’s simply a privilege to be fighting here on Globo, to be boxing like I’ve always wanted to do, and doing it against a guy like Shogun.” View this post on Instagram

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Glover Teixeira suggests fights with influencers after boxing Shogun Rua