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In one of the bigger upsets in mixed martial arts this year, Glover Teixeira became the oldest first-time champion in the UFC with his second-round submission of Jan Blachowicz at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi, UAE on Saturday night.
Teixeira (33-7) won via rear naked choke three minutes into the second round of his light heavyweight championship fight, pulling the upset and keeping Blachowicz (28-9) from his second defense of the belt.
Glover Teixeira becomes a UFC champion at 42 years old wow pic.twitter.com/IaMZXYaemY
— Λ (@ImAntoMMA) October 30, 2021
The oddsmakers didn’t give Teixeira much of a chance either, as he checked in at +235 to win at DraftKings Sportsbook before the bout, and to do it by submission was an even bigger surprise at +1200.
It’s a tremendous story for a fighter that has won six bouts in a row in the octagon to achieve the pinnacle of his sport at an age where most are deteriorating instead of improving. Teixeira first joined the UFC on May 26, 2012 at UFC 146, meaning it took him 9.5 years to go from a promotion rookie to the champion. He is 15-6 all-time as a UFC fighter.
Randy Couture was 43 years, eight months when he won the heavyweight championship for the third time in March of 2007.