UFC on FOX 19’s Glover Teixeira on sudden 5-round fight: Eh, so what?

Two surprises were in store for UFC light heavyweight Glover Teixeira this spring: a fight, and a five-round fight.

With both, Teixeira’s reaction was the same: Sure, whatever.

Teixeira (24-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) is filling in for injured Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (23-10 MMA, 7-8 UFC) and faces Rashad Evans (19-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC) on Saturday at UFC on FOX 19. The fight was upgraded to the FOX-televised headliner when Tony Ferguson (20-3 MMA, 10-1 UFC) was forced to withdraw from a fight opposite Khabib Nurmagomedov (22-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

That means Teixeira has had to get ready for 10 extra minutes – five rounds for a headliner rather than the usual three – in the octagon at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. But the way he sees it, he’s not the only one who’s been thrown a curve ball.

In other words, his manager didn’t need to smooth over the idea when he got that call.

“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” he said. “This is why we’re in the business. Rashad is in the same boat.”

Evans, No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light-heavyweight rankings, is coming off a decision loss to Ryan Bader this past October while No. 5-ranked Teixeira has won his past two, most recently a second-round TKO of Patrick Cummins in November.

Teixeira noted Evans is a “tricky fighter” who is dangerous from any position, and yet he’s not particularly concerned about where the fight goes or how long it lasts.

“For me, it doesn’t change much,” he said. “Getting ready for five rounds is a little bit different, especially with sparring. But to tell you the truth, I feel pretty good. I feel pretty confident to go five rounds. It was a surprise for me and a surprise for Rashad.”

Teixeira might have gotten a trifecta of surprises if called to fill-in at UFC 197 for injured champ Daniel Cormier in a fight with Jon Jones, giving him a chance to avenge a 2014 loss to the now-former champ. But he said that was never on the table.

Instead, Teixeira’s former opponent, Ovince Saint Preux, got the short-notice call. It’s quite a turn for a guy Teixeira choked out this past August, but the Brazilian isn’t the jealous type.

“In this business, you’ve got to be ready,” he said. “You have to be smart and ready all the time. That phone call can happen at any time, and you’ve got to be ready for that chance. Look what happened with ‘OSP,’ and I’m happy for him. I think it will be a good fight.

“But I don’t care. I know I want to fight and improve and get a title fight again and be a champion. I’ve got to keep working, and I’ll fight for the title again.”

While a win over Evans would be a nice addition to Teixeira’s resume, he’s not thinking too much about the implications for his career. That’s not what he focuses on anymore.

The UFC can give him a call, and as long as he’s not hurt, his answer will be yes.

“I’m a fighter,” Teixeira said. “I like to be in shape.”

For more on UFC on FOX 19, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.