Teixeira absorbs Pereira's fight IQ ahead of boxing debut against Shogun Rua

Glover Teixeira steps into a boxing ring for the first time on Aug. 29, headlining Spaten Fight Night 3 in São Paulo against fellow UFC Hall of Famer Mauricio “Shogun” Rua — and the man sharpening his striking is none other than Alex Pereira, the fighter Teixeira has spent months coaching for UFC White House.

The relationship has become a two-way exchange. Teixeira guided Pereira through his full-time transition from kickboxing to MMA, and now “Poatan” is returning the favour ahead of Teixeira’s squared-circle debut.

“We train very lightly these days,” Teixeira told MMA Fighting. “Back in the day, I used to train hard with him. After I retired, I started helping him more from the coaching side. Sometimes I’ll have someone grapple with him and then in the final minute I’ll jump in and do some boxing with him, work on entries and things like that. But his vision, his striking, the way he approaches a fight, the feints he uses, it’s all high-level. He has an incredibly high fight IQ and I’m learning a lot from him.”

Pereira co-headlines UFC White House against Ciryl Gane, with the interim heavyweight title on the line. Teixeira is backing his training partner for a finish. “‘Poatan’ is extremely well prepared,” he said. “We just have to take care of the details and execute the perfect training camp. You know when you say, ‘The cake is ready. We just have to wait for that golden crust on top’? That’s where we are.”

Teixeira is chasing the same outcome on his own card. “I’m training with joy, I’m really happy, and we’re going after the knockout,” he said.

The idea for the boxing match was first floated over dinner in Rio de Janeiro in January, and when Spaten Fight Night came back with the Rua offer, Teixeira said he felt “as happy as I was when I made my UFC debut.”

The bout carries a poetic symmetry: both men retired on the same night at UFC 283 in January 2023, Teixeira losing a vacant light heavyweight title fight to Jamahal Hill and Rua being stopped by Ihor Potieria. Now 46, Teixeira has remained active as an MMA coach in Danbury since then. Rua is 44.

“I think ‘Shogun’ is going to come in training hard,” Teixeira said. “I think he’s going to train like crazy, and I hope he does. ‘Shogun’ had a great career. He’s not fighting for money.”

Teixeira has been a former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight champion himself, and the Aug. 29 card in São Paulo marks his first competitive appearance since hanging up his MMA gloves.