Glover Teixeira announces plans to retire in 2022 regardless of championship status: “I wanna stop this year”

UFC light-heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira’s days in the sport are numbered. The 42-year-old seems set to retire later this year.

The Brazilian is set to face Jiri Prochazka in the main event of UFC 275 next month. The bout is going to be Teixeira’s first title defense since capturing the light-heavyweight title last year against Jan Blachowicz. The 42-year-old captured the championship via second-round submission last October.

Teixeira’s age has been a large topic of conversation during his career. At 42, he’s one of the oldest champions in the UFC’s history. With that in mind, it’s not a surprise that he’s looking at hanging up the gloves.

Glover Teixeira discussed his future in an interview with Globo. There, he announced that he’s likely done fighting this year, championship or not. His ideal goal would be to defend his title next month, then fight in New York later this year to end his career.

Image via @ufc on Instagram (photographer not listed)

“I’ll be 43 in November. Regardless of being at the top, being the best of the world or not, I wanna stop this year. It will probably be my last year. I don’t wanna make this decision after a fight, but it’s what I’ve been thinking for a while. I don’t wanna retire like [Henry] Cejudo, who keeps asking for a fight all the time, I want to retire and stay cool.” (h/t MMAFighting)

Glover Teixeira continued, “I think that’s the perfect plan. The perfect plan is to retire with the belt this year, but we have a lot to do. We have to see if it could be in New York, and I still have to beat a guy that is tough as hell. That’s my idea.”

What do you think about Glover Teixeira’s comments? Do you think he’ll defeat Jiri Prochazka at UFC 275 next month?