'Burnt out' before Jones fight, Teixeira staying home for Davis training camp
Glover Teixeira isn't going to dilute himself. He understood he had to make changes following a unanimous decision loss to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 172 in April.
Teixeira admits that Jones beat him at his best and won't make excuses. But if he's going to make another run at the title, the Brazilian knows he has to alter some of his routines and techniques.
The most important thing he did leading up to his fight with Phil Davis at UFC 179 on Oct. 25 in Rio de Janeiro is stay home. Teixeira isn't doing his training camp at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., like he has in the past. He's been working at the ATT branch near his home in Danbury, Conn.
"I feel great over there, but I live in Connecticut," Teixeira told FOX Sports. "Over here is my house. It's different. You relax. My wife cooks. It's a little bit more relaxing when I come home. I sleep better. I'm feeling better now. It's nothing bad about ATT."
It's hard to blame Teixeira (22-3) for wanting to be home. Because he initially immigrated to the United States illegally, Teixeira had to leave the country to go back to Brazil for nearly four years. Not only did that derail a potential UFC career, but he was also away from his wife, Ingrid.
Teixeira, 34, wanted to be back in his comfort zone before the Davis fight, because it is incredibly important to both of their careers. Teixeira comes in ranked No. 4 among UFC light heavyweight contenders and Davis is No. 6. A win for either would put them right back into the discussion for a title shot. But a loss could send them careening off into gatekeeper status.
"Beating Phil Davis, he's a top contender, that would put me right back into the mix," Teixeira said.
Another reason for staying in Danbury is Teixeira felt like he overtrained a bit for Jones. It was the biggest fight of his career and Teixeira thinks maybe he went a little too hard and for too long.
"A little too much training," Teixeira said. "Too many weeks of camp. I think I got burnt out a little bit. It was 13 weeks of camp. That wears you out a lot."
The loss to Jones was Teixeira's first in nine years. He had won 20 straight fights before then, so maybe he needed a loss in order to re-evaluate his game. Jones beat him up in the clinch with knees and elbows, never letting Teixeira get into a striking rhythm.
"I had to fix some striking, some movements a little bit," Teixeira said. "Me and my coach got together and we fixed it."
Davis, a top-notch wrestler, will present a different kind of problem for Teixeira. But he believes he is up to the task. At 34, his time in MMA might be waning, but Teixeira is nothing if not always positive. He plans to come into the Davis fight as a fresher fighter.
"The energy is so high," Teixeira said. "I feel so happy, because I'm going to do what I love to do."
