Former opponent hails Glover Teixeira as "one of the greatest in MMA" following the Brazilian's retirement at UFC 283

Glover Teixeira called it quits on a legendary mixed martial arts career after taking a brutal beatdown from Jamahal Hill at UFC 283 while fighting for the light heavyweight title.

Jan Blachowicz, who Teixeira defeated at UFC 267 to become the light heavyweight champion, took to Twitter to pay his respects to his former opponent's mixed martial arts career that lasted more than two decades.

The No.4-ranked light heavyweight stated:

"Glover Teixeira announced his retirement. One of the greatest in MMA industry. The Legend. It was a true honor to crossed the gloves with you in the @ufc Octagon. P.S. Bro, but you must remember that you still owe me a rematch! 😉 So see you on the mat @gloverteixeira! Oss!" [sic]

Teixeira, who had previously fought Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title at UFC 172 all the way back in 2014, became the oldest first-time champion in UFC history in 2021. He shocked the world by defeating Blachowicz via a second-round rear-naked choke nearly seven-and-a-half years later.

Check out Jan Blachowicz's tweet praising Glover Teixeira below:

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Glover Teixeira plans to focus his energy on Alex Pereira

Glover Teixeira's decision to retire after a tough battle with Jamahal Hill should not come as much of a surprise as he is already 43 years old and would likely need a win or two to re-enter the light heavyweight title picture. Following his UFC 283 light heavyweight title fight loss, Teixeira shared that he plans to focus on training UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira.

Speaking to UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier [via a translator] after UFC 283, Teixeira announced his retirement:

"In reality I think I'm too tough for my own good. Too tough for my own health. I can't keep up anymore. I'm gonna focus my energy on Alex Pereira, 'Poatan'. He's gonna keep his belt for a while then go up to light heavyweight."

He added that he was honored to retire on the same night as another Brazilian mixed martial arts legend, Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, noting:

"It's an honor to put the gloves down on the same night as 'Shogun'. I wish we were in the Royce Gracie era where we could just go no rounds and keep going in this s**t, but we're not, and I'm just not keeping up anymore."

It is not surprising that Pereira, who is physically massive for middleweight, plans to move up to light heavyweight in the near future, particularly now that Teixeira is no longer in the division. Pereira is noticeably bigger than even some light heavyweights.

Watch Glover Teixeira announce his retirement while sharing his future plans below: