Teixeira compares Jon Jones' legacy to Lance Armstrong's
When Glover Teixeira considers the greatness of Jon Jones, he can't help but think of another sports legend: cycling champion and noted PED user Lance Armstrong.
Jones is in the midst of appealing a July doping violation in which he allegedly tested positive for the presence of estrogen blockers, a banned substance tied to steroid cycles. That has led to questions about the legitimacy of the superstar fighter's achievements.
Teixeira told Combate that he wished Jones the best, but was disappointed by the news all the same.
"It's hard to comment. Jon Jones is the best fighter in history," Teixeira said, according to a translation from Bloody Elbow's Lucas Rezende. "He could be doing what Usain Bolt is doing. He's one of the best fighters ever, defeated everybody in the weight class and then does what he's been doing for the past couple of years. It's sad. We want a chance to fight the guy. To get in there and knock him out. But it's part of the sport."
The 36-year-old Teixeira has first-hand knowledge of how gifted Jones is. In April 2014, he lost a unanimous decision in his bid to take Jones' UFC light heavyweight belt. That loss also put a stop to Teixeira's 20-fight win streak.
Despite that, there's no bitterness on Teixeira's end, only concern over how his peer's legacy will be affected by his PED allegations.
"We never want anything bad to happen, especially to an athlete like Jon Jones," Teixeira said. "I hope he can get back on track. I don't think Jon Jones needed to take anything. He's younger than everybody else. Plus, if he took something he shouldn't, he should lose his title.
"He's like Lance Armstrong, who won all those titles and then they took them away from him. So the question remains. Was he really a champion or could anybody have been the champion if they were taking what he was taking?"
Teixeira has finished his past three opponents and he's looking for another world title shot if he can get past Anthony Johnson at UFC 202 on Saturday in Las Vegas.