UFC 275: Glover Teixeira ‘very prepared to defend the belt’ in his first fight in Asia
- Teixeira will defend light-heavyweight title against Jiri Prochazka on June 11 in Singapore
- Fight will be Brazilian’s second outside the Western Hemisphere, while Prochazka has fought in Asia 11 times and plans to train in Thailand
UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira will venture into unfamiliar territory for his next fight, but is feeling confident nonetheless.
The Connecticut-based Brazilian is slated to defend his title against Jiri Prochazka in the main event of UFC 275 on June 11 in Singapore. It will be his first fight on Asian soil, and just his second outside the Western Hemisphere.
Still, he is not anticipating any travel-related issues.
“I’m excited to be in Singapore, I’ve heard it’s beautiful there,” Teixeira said. “I’m just excited to be there and fight and defend the belt. I’m excited and happy about it.”
While Teixeira (33-7-0) will be on unfamiliar ground, his challenger Prochazka (28-3-1) has fought in Asian on numerous. Before joining UFC in 2020, the Czech star fought 11 times for Japan’s Rizin Fighting Federation, ultimately capturing and defending the promotion’s light-heavyweight title.
Teixeira acknowledged that Prochazka’s experience in Japan could be valuable in Singapore, but said he was not overly troubled by the potential strains of travelling internationally for a fight.
“Every experience is experience,” he said. “He [Prochazka] fought there before, but I’ve fought out of the country. It doesn’t bother me too much. What bothered me before was different things. Right now I’m just excited about being in another place and training and fighting. I’m excited about everything.”