Glover Teixeira says Alex Pereira’s mind is every bit as dangerous as his power. As Pereira prepares to co-headline UFC White House against Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight strap, Teixeira said the fighter called Poatan has an “incredibly high fight IQ” and expects him to finish the job with a knockout.
That matters now because Pereira is chasing a third UFC title later this month, and Teixeira knows what is hiding inside the training room. He helped Pereira adapt from kickboxing to MMA, and he said the work has shifted from hard sessions to lighter, sharper rounds. “We train very lightly these days,” Teixeira said, adding that he is learning from Pereira even as he helps coach him.
The detail that gives that praise weight is the way Teixeira described Pereira’s striking. He pointed to the vision, the feints, the way Pereira approaches a fight and the way he builds openings instead of forcing them. Teixeira said he hopes Pereira knocks out Gane and framed the fight as one that can be won by preparation and execution rather than volume. In his view, Poatan is entering the bout ready to take advantage of every small mistake.
Teixeira’s own calendar makes the timing tighter. He will make his boxing debut on Aug. 29 against Mauricio Rua in Sao Paulo, Brazil, under the Spaten Fight Night 3 banner, and he said the idea for that bout was first raised over dinner in Rio de Janeiro back in January. He and Rua retired on the same night at UFC 283 in January 2023, when Teixeira lost a vacant title bout to Jamahal Hill and Rua was stopped by Ihor Potieria. Now both are heading back into action, but on different terms.
That is where the friction sits. Teixeira said neither he nor Rua is fighting to pay bills, even if money is part of the equation. He expects Rua to train hard and said neither man can afford to show up flat, because pride and reputation still hang over the matchup. Teixeira called the coming months enough time to get ready, but he also drew a line between making money and being ready to perform.
For Pereira, the next step is direct: Gane at UFC White House, with a title on the line and a coach who thinks the striking and the mind are already aligned. For Teixeira, the lesson is close at hand too. He says he is taking what he has learned from Poatan into his own return, and the result is a rare setup in which the coach believes the student can win by doing exactly what he has been taught to do.
