A light heavyweight king was crowned at UFC 285 when former champion Glover Teixeira took on Jamahal Hill in Saturday night’s main event in Rio de Janeiro.
And unfortunately for Teixeira, who couldn’t become a two-time champ in his home country of Brazil as Hill put on the performance of his career, taking a unanimous decision win (50–44, 50–44, 50–44) after five hard-fought rounds.
Hill is the fourth man to hoist light heavyweight gold ever since Jon Jones vacated the belt in 2020. “Sweet Dreams” improved his professional mixed martial arts record to 12-1 with one no contest. The 31-year-old fighter extended his win streak to four, adding Teixeira’s name to a mantel that includes the likes of Thiago Santos, Johnny Walker and Ovince St. Preux.
For Teixeira, he announced his retirement while speaking with color commentator Daniel Cormier. At 43, Teixeira has fought the who’s who of 205 pounds across a professional career that spans over 20 years. As a 33-9 fighter, Teixeira beat several notable names during his UFC tenure, including Jan Blachowicz, Anthony Smith, Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson.
He earned the light heavyweight championship in October 2021 at UFC 267 by besting Blachowicz via second-round rear-naked choke.
The MMA Community Reacts to UFC 283’s Hill vs. Teixeira
Several people in the MMA community were watching the UFC 283 main event on January 21. Former UFC light heavyweight king Jon Jones tweeted during the bout: “Yo we got ourselves a fight ladies and gentlemen.”
“Congratulations Hill!” Jones continued.
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier tweeted, “Congratulations to both men in the main event. What a sport this is!”
Reigning UFC 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev tweeted, “Teixeira I’m your fan.”
Former UFC bantamweight and flyweight king Henry Cejudo tweeted, “@gloverteixeira is a f****** inspiration. Congrats @JamahalH.”
“Huge congrats to @JamahalH on an amazing performance over the legendary @gloverteixeira,” former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping wrote. “Inspired by both men. Incredible fight.”
“Thank you @gloverteixeira Legend personified,” Bisping continued.
The Mac Life’s Oscar Willis tweeted, “Glover Teixeira is cool as s***.”
Several More Comments Poured in on Twitter
“Morning Kombat” host Luke Thomas tweeted: “I’ll admit it: I completely slept on Hill’s ability to defend the takedown. Be it the body lock or the double against the fence, he did it. He never got stuck underneath and turned takedowns against him into his own offensive wrestling. He massively leveled up.”
Thomas’ co-host, CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell, tweeted, “Jamahal Hill just broke down emotionally in the cage. This was an incredibly mature performance.”
“Jamahal Hill is having a moment right now and he earned every second of it,” Campbell continued. “What an incredible performance against possibly the most determined and stubborn human alive in Glover Teixeira.”
Sharing a quote from Sweet Dream’s post-fight interview with Cormier, Campbell tweeted: “‘Anything is possible. Hard work, dedication, accountability. Don’t let anybody tell you nothing … WHAT THE F*** YOU HAVE TO SAY NOW?!?!?! … You can do anything if you are willing to fight for it.’ – Jamahal Hill.”
Former interim UFC 155-pound champion Justin Gaethje tweeted, “Hell of a story @JamahalH and on short notice. Probably not a better feeling in the world than what him and his family are feeling right now.”
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Jon Jones & Others React to Jamahal Hill Becoming 205-Pound UFC Champ