Five years ago, Glover Teixeira put his name into the UFC history books.
In the UFC 267 main event in Abu Dhabi, the 42-year-old Teixeira became the second oldest champion in the promotion’s history when he submitted Jan Blachowicz in the fifth round.
And remarkably, Teixeira, at the time, became just the third UFC light heavyweight champion over a 10-year stretch. Jon Jones won the belt in March 2011 and held it until August 2020. Blachowicz won the vacant title a month later, and Teixeira took it from him 13 months after that.
At the time, there was no way to imagine the division would have more turnover and turmoil than arguably any weight class in UFC history. But consider this: After having one champion for more than nine years, the UFC’s 205 stable has seen a remarkable seven different titleholders in a period of only around 5.5 years.
Five years ago on Oct. 30, 2021, Teixeira got that trend rolling when he ended Blachowicz’s reign at just shy of 400 days, and without a title defense. Teixeira had a short reign, too, and lost the belt in June 2022 to Jiri Prochazka.
The UFC’s 205-pound title is in flux again. Current champion Carlos Ulberg has been on the shelf for a while with an injury. If he’s forced to vacate without making a title defense, he’ll join Prochazka and Jamahal Hill, each of whom has had to do the same thing. In addition, former champ Alex Pereira is a two-time champion in the division and vacated the belt earlier this year to move to heavyweight.
Check out the video above to relive Teixeira’s journey to the title
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: This Date in MMA History: Glover Teixeira wins title at 42, UFC 267
Reporting by Matt Erickson, MMA Junkie / MMA Junkie
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
