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Daniel Cormier believes Glover Teixeira's over-reliance on his ground game cost him dearly in his title fight against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 275. Despite being ahead on most of the judges' scorecards after four rounds and dominating most of the fifth, the veteran lost via rear-naked choke submission with just 28 seconds left on the clock.
According to Cormier, Teixeira was so wary of Prochazka's prolific striking skills that he didn't consider the possibility of imposing his own striking game. 'DC' pulled up stats from the fight to reveal that the 43-year-old attempted as many as 17 takedowns in the fight, managing to secure just five.
Despite hurting the Czech fighter with vicious combinations in the fifth frame, Glover Teixeira chose to take the fight to the ground and that's where he lost the plot, claimed Cormier.
During a recent episode of ESPN MMA's DC & RC podcast, Cormier said:
"If you watch round one, in round two, Glover was throwing all of the strikes that he normally throws but nothing landed because Jiri was way too fast for him, but by round five, he couldn't miss him...I believe that when you are preparing for someone and you make Jiri exactly who he is, such a dominant imposing striker that even in those moments where the threat is minimal... you can't ignore that you have built this man up into who he is in your mind, this monster. Even though he was hurting him, he continued to shoot for takedowns which ultimately cost him...To have to do 17 attempts and only complete five is ultimately what got Glover."
Watch the episode below:
Glover Teixeira has no plans of retiring, eyes immediate rematch with Jiri Prochazka
At 42 years of age, Glover Teixeira has seen both the highest highs and lowest lows of the fight game. He fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a UFC world champion by beating Jan Blachowicz last October.
Following his heartbreaking defeat in the final moments of the fifth round against Prochazka, some have questioned whether it's time for the Brazilian to hang up his gloves and walk away into the sunset. Teixeira, however, doesn't feel that way. He believes he's still got what it takes to carry on fighting and recapture the belt he recently lost.
During his post-fight octagon interview with Daniel Cormier at UFC 275, he said:
"Did I look 42 out there? No? Then I'm going to keep going."
Catch the full interview below:
Following the fight, Teixeira called out Prochazka for an immediate rematch of their thrilling encounter at UFC 275. It remains to be seen whether the UFC will choose that direction for the newly-crowned champion.
