Gleison Tibau's long-term future in the bakery, but Pat Healy comes first

The end might not necessarily be approaching for Gleison Tibau‘s career, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t thinking about what may be happening down the road.

But unlike many fighters, the bulky Brazilian isn’t planning on sticking around in the sport. In fact, he may be planning for a post-fight career that is about as far away from fighting as could be imagined for any fighter, save maybe for Miesha “Cupcake” Tate.

Tibau wants to follow in his father’s footsteps – to be a baker.

“I’ve been a professional fighter since age 15. I currently devote my sweat and blood to my career. But there’s only so much abuse a body can take,” Tibau told MMAjunkie. “When I retire, I want to move back to my hometown of Tibau in Brazil and start up a baking business. I’ll remain big a fan of the sport, but I won’t be teaching or cornering fighters. Nothing. One of my dreams is to open a great cookie and bread factory. My father was a baker for many years. But I’ll keep eating healthy and exercising because I wouldn’t want to be an overweight businessman.”

Tibau (28-10 MMA, 13-8 UFC) on Wednesday meets Pat Healy (29-19 MMA, 0-4 UFC) in a lightweight bout on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 45, which takes place in Atlantic City, N.J., and airs and streams on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Tibau will be returning after a bit of a shocker in December, when he was knocked out by Michael Johnson at UFC 168 in Las Vegas. It was the first time he had been stopped by punches since his UFC debut, a welterweight bout against Nick Diaz at UFC 65 more than seven years prior.

Despite that loss, and despite a finger injury that kept him out of a planned March return, Tibau said he’s ready to come back stronger than ever.

“I never imagined a KO would happen to me in our weight class,” said Tibau, who arguably is the UFC’s biggest lightweight. “But a setback can be compared to shooting an arrow – the more you pull back, the truer your aim.

“The fans should expect to see a new Tibau. Despite my injury, I never stopped training. Expect me to be more versatile and to bring a different style. I’ll surprise a lot of fans on fight night.”

He also expects a tough test against Healy, who hasn’t yet found his footing in the UFC. His one victory, an upset of Jim Miller, was overturned when he tested positive for marijuana.

“Pat’s performance against Jim Miller was indeed his brightest moment,” Tibau said. “And none of his decision losses were easy. They were all battles against tough fighters. He’s a difficult matchup for anyone in our division. I’m well conditioned and focused, so I expect a great fight against him.”

After having just turned 31, Tibau still may be a ways away from a future in the kitchen with flour and butter and sugar – despite heading into his 22nd fight in the UFC. With a win over Healy, prospective bakery customers in Brazil will have to wait even longer.

For more on UFC Fight Night 45, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.