Glover Teixeira will return to combat action for big International Fight Week bout against top 5 light heavyweight 

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira made the decision to hang up his gloves in January following a comprehensive defeat to Jamahal Hill, who now holds the title at 205lbs.

Since then, the 43-year-old has kept a relatively low profile, with his only appearance in the octagon coming as one of former UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira’s coaches.

However, it was announced today that Teixeira will be returning to action in June, albeit not inside the octagon.

Instead, the Brazilian was announced as one of the participants in the UFC’s Fight Pass Invitational, a grappling event that goes down on June 29 in the lead-up to 2023’s International Fight Week.

According to Dana White, Teixeira will face off with Anthony Smith at the event.

“Just an FYI for all you grappling fans. The Fight Pass Invitational is back. The grappling event will be headlined by Craig Jones vs. Felipe Pena, and the co-main event will be Glover Teixeira vs. Anthony Smith. And you can stream it live only on UFC Fight Pass on June 29.”

The Brazilian famously defeated ‘Lionheart’ by fifth round TKO in the headliner of the UFC’s second event to take place during the peak of 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic. The fight is widely considered to have featured a late stoppage.

The last Fight Pass Invitational took place on December 15 2022 and saw Gordon Ryan defeat Nick Rodriguez in the headliner. Former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate was also in action, losing to Bia Mesquita via submission.

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Glover Teixeira grappling: is the Brazilian a renowned grappler?

Glover Teixeira was widely considered one of the most dangerous grapplers in the UFC’s light-heavyweight division. When the Brazilian retired earlier this year, his ledger featured ten wins via submission, including seven in the octagon.

Teixeira is not just a good grappler in the world of MMA, though. He’s also highly credentialed in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and holds a second degree black belt under Luigi Mondelli.

The former UFC light-heavyweight kingpin has competed in the prestigious ADCC South American Championships on two occasions, winning gold in the -99kg division in 2009 and claiming a silver medal in 2011.

His submission grappling record officially stands at 7-3-1. His last trip to the grappling mat saw him go to a draw with former UFC welterweight title challenger and renowned grappler Jake Shields at the Quintet UItra event in December 2019.

Watch Glover Teixeira grappling against Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu below.