Glover Teixeira accepted UFC on FOX 19 slot even before he knew opponent

Glover Teixeira was anxious for a fight – so anxious that he accepted a prime spot on tonight’s UFC on FOX 19 card even before he knew who his opponent would be.

Teixeira (24-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC), a former light-heavyweight title challenger who’s trying to work his back to a shot at the belt, meets former champion Rashad Evans (19-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC) in tonight’s FOX-televised headliner at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

Since his title loss to then-champ Jon Jones and a subsequent defeat to Phil Davis, the 36-year-old Brazilian has posted back-to-back stoppage wins over Ovince Saint Preux and Patrick Cummins. However, he’s waited nearly half a year for his latest booking.

“To be facing Rashad Evans is a great opportunity since he is a well-known fighter,” Teixeira told MMAjunkie. “Plus, I needed to be fighting again. I didn’t get hurt against Pat Cummins, so I was anxious to get back.

“Nothing was booked for some time. I was feeling a bit frustrated. Suddenly, I received a call to fight on April 16, and I immediately said yes. I didn’t even ask who the opponent might be. Later, when I found out it was Rashad, my answer was still the same.”

Teixeira is No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light-heavyweight rankings, and Evans is No. 9. So a victory here could be a vital one for Teixeira’s title hopes.

After all, the division is sort of up in the air. With champ Daniel Cormier (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) injured and ex-titleholder/No. 1-ranked Jones (21-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) set to headline this month’s UFC 197 pay-per-view event against Saint Preux (19-7 MMA, 7-2 UFC) for an interim belt, Teixeira said he just needs to focus on winning.

“Recently, there was some confusion about who was next to fight for the belt,” he said. “But I don’t worry about that. Right now I’m only concerned about Rashad. After I beat him, I’ll think about how to further improve my situation in the UFC so I can fight for the belt again.”

Teixeira said his focus has been sharper than in the past. When he fought and lost to Davis, he was running his own camp while trying to open his own academy. Now that things are settled, though? He said he has “a perfect team” with eight light heavyweight and heavyweight training partners, including Caio Magalhaes, Rafael Viana, Guilherme Viana, Parker Porter and Keith Berish, among others.

“You won’t find a team like this anywhere else,” said Teixeira, who’s working with head trainer Fernely Feliz. “So I’m very satisfied. Now that my academy is running and my team is assembled, I’m ready to challenge anyone.”

So how does the fight with Evans play out?

“For me, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I like to dominate my fights and not leave it to the judges. But the flipside of that is that Rashad is very tough and experienced. So I have to keep calm and do what’s needed to be victorious.

“I expect to have a great victory, a beautiful fight. I take one step at a time. I can’t get ahead of myself. I want to do the right things at the right time. I think he matches up very well with my style. It will be an exciting bout for our fans.”

For more on UFC on FOX 19, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.