Former UFC double-champion Daniel Cormier has spoken out in defense of former light-heavyweight titleholder Glover Teixeira’s decision to turn down a short notice title fight against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282 after his original opponent Jiri Prochazka backed out due to an injury.
The 43-year-old Teixeira was the subject of criticism after he admitted that he turned down the fight against Ankalaev, only to then offer to fight Jan Blachowicz instead for the vacant belt, and Cormier says that it made perfect sense to him.
“I believe that, honestly, I would do the same thing if I was Glover,” Cormier told ESPN. “It’s different. When I was fighting, they told me, as the champ, would you fight Derrick Lewis on three weeks’ notice? Knowing the matchup, I said, sure. Stipe Miocic, I would not have fought on three weeks’ notice, because it’s a different matchup. When I had to fight [Anthony] ‘Rumble’ Johnson for the vacant title, God rest his soul, sure, I’ll fight ‘Rumble’ Johnson. When they said Dan Henderson on a few weeks’ — six weeks, five weeks, whatever, I wasn’t in camp — sure, because I know the matchup.
“Glover Teixeira also understands that if you give him Jan Blachowicz, he’s fought him before, he’s done training camps for him before. Magomed Ankalaev is an unknown. Nobody really knows what this kid is, especially being that he’s so highly regarded. If he was just a young kid that nobody knew that wasn’t thought to be a future champion, I think anyone would jump at the opportunity to become champ, because again, we’re talking about a 43-year-old man who has been the UFC champion, who has fought the best of the best.”
Teixeira has since been taken off the UFC 282 card completely and Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev is now the new main event match-up for the vacant belt on December 10th in Las Vegas.
