Teixeira: ‘People are dying,’ it’s unfair to complain about money

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Light heavyweight Glover Teixeira has different priorities other than turning a profit during the coronavirus pandemic.

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Glover Teixieira has an altruistic take when it comes to the current coronavirus pandemic.

He understands the economy will take a hit and many business owners will suffer financial setbacks as livelihoods to remain closed, but believes now it is not that the time to take money in consideration.

In an interview with Combate, Teixeira points out he will also lose money from having his gym shut down because of the pandemic, but he puts safety and public health ahead of that. He thinks he is sacrificing for something bigger: people’s lives.

“I’m honestly not financially concerned right now, even though it’s setting me back. Lots of people are dying, it’s really sad, one of the worst things. It’s like a war. It would be unfair for me to complain about losing money. It’s setting me back, of course, my gym is closed, I’m still paying my employees, but it’s something I can’t complain about. If you have a roof over your head, food to eat, you can’t complain about a situation like this. It’s the kind of situation where I wish it goes back to normal as soon as possible, especially because I want to fight again, but what’s going on right now is so sad.”

With all UFC events in foreseeable future postponed after Disney made Dana White call off his whole schedule until further notice, Glover hopes the events only come back when it’s safe to do so, when nobody else’s health will be at risk.

“Dana White gave his best. I was training without knowing what would happen. We were all on the same boat, but he kept trying, he tried until the end. Dana White is a big warrior, too, he fought for us outside of the Octagon. He fights to make the events happen and will continue to do so. He spoke about that island of his, that is somewhere out there. He will keep on fighting to bring the events back as soon as possible. I want it to come back at the right time, when nobody else can be at risk. There’s a lot of people behind this, they are considering everyone’s health. They’re not coming back if it’ll put someone at risk. I’m in favor of coming back as soon as possible, but I trust them not to put anyone at risk.”

Currently on a three-fight winning streak, Glover Teixeira (30-7) had a stellar 2019, beating Karl Roberson, Ion Cutelaba and Nikita Krylov all in the same year. The 40-year-old’s last loss happened in July 2018, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Corey Anderson.