Glover Teixeira Reportedly Suffered a Torn Labrum in Jon Jones Fight, Headed to Surgery

Adding injury to insult, Glover Teixeira not only lost his bid to remove the gold belt from around UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ waist at UFC 172 recently, he also suffered a torn labrum in the opening round of the fight.

The injury occurred when Jones, who masterfully defended his belt, cranked on Teixeira’s arm. Lesser men would have given up, but Teixeira fought on for the duration of the five-round fight, not winning the belt, but winning over most anyone that doubted his shot at the title.

Teixeira’s manager, Ed Soares, confirmed the injury to FoxSports.com on Friday, saying that his fighter is likely to undergo surgery sometime in the next two weeks. A timeframe for his return is yet to be determined.

Despite the torn labrum, as well as some battered ribs, Teixeira took nothing away from Jones after the fight, simply saying he was the better man that night.

Jones surprised many pundits, who thought he would try to utilize his height and reach and stay away from Teixeira’s inside game, where the Brazilian is particularly proficient. The champ instead fought a large part of the fight on the inside, besting Teixeira where he is strongest, showing another new wrinkle in his own game.

Teixeira lasted to the final bell, losing a unanimous decision. The loss to Jones ended a 20-fight unbeaten streak.