Glover Teixeira didn’t know for sure that UFC 283 in January was going to be his MMA retirement fight when he entered the octagon to face Jamahal Hill for the vacant light heavyweight title.
By the time the contest was over, though, Teixeira (33-9 MMA, 16-7 UFC) was certain a significant chapter of his life had come to an end. His lopsided unanimous decision loss to Hill in front of his home country fans at Jeunesse Arena at Rio de Janeiro marked the final stop in a UFC Hall of Fame worthy run.
It wasn’t only that Teixeira was beaten. It was the way he lost that felt different, he said. It was the type of night older athletes dread. The 43-year-old former UFC champ couldn’t execute the way he wanted in many critical moments, pesrhaps signifying the inevitable decline that Teixeira has avoided for much longer than most.
