Glover Teixeira on Retiring After UFC 283 Loss: ‘I Can’t Keep Up Anymore’

After a valiant — but ultimately unsuccessful — effort in his bid to regain the light heavyweight crown, Glover Teixeira is calling it a career.

The Brazilian veteran announced his retirement in the Octagon following a unanimous decision loss to Jamahal Hill in the UFC 283 headliner at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night. Teixeira exits the sport at 43 years old with a 33-9 career mark.

“In reality though, I think I’m too tough for my own good,” Teixeira said while leaving his gloves in the middle of the cage. “I can’t keep up anymore. I’m gonna focus my energy on [middleweight champ] Alex Pereira. He’s gonna keep his belt for a while and go up to light heavyweight. It’s an honor to put the gloves down on the same night as Shogun.”

Teixeira was one of the feel-good stories of 2021, becoming the oldest first-time champion in promotion history with a submission of Jan Blachowicz at UFC 267. He relinquished the strap in a “Fight of the Year” bout against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 275 but got another opportunity when an injury forced Prochazka to vacate the strap. Teixeira hung tough for five rounds against Hill, but was largely outgunned throughout the fight.

Despite that setback, Teixeira is one of the most beloved fighters in the promotion. The Brazilian veteran compiled a 16-7 mark in UFC competition that included victories against the likes of Blachowicz, Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, Jared Cannonier, Rashad Evans, Ryan Bader and Quinton Jackson.

“I wish we were in the Royce Gracie (era) where we just go with no rounds and keep going in this s—t, but we’re not and I’m just not keeping up anymore,” Teixeira said.