- Glover Teixeira’s cornerman John Hackleman felt relief after his fellow cornermen dismissed his call to stop the fight before the final round
- Hackleman has decided to call it quits after UFC 283
Heading into the final round of UFC 283 headliner, Glover Teixeira’s cornerman John Hackleman called to stop the fight to prevent the Brazilian from incurring more damage. However, his fellow cornermen waived him off and the fight went on, a decision Hackleman is thankful for afterwards.
A known fight-stopper
In an interview with MMA Fighting after the bout, Hackleman came clean about being a “known fight-stopper.” He knows it wasn’t always the best thing to do but after witnessing how the eventual light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill put his pupil on a striking clinic, Hackleman was prompted to pull the plug.
“I’m a known fight-stopper in between rounds,” Hackleman confessed. “I’m kind of known for that, maybe a little too much at times. But I thought this was a good time to stop it. I was outvoted in the corner… I just don’t like to see guys get any kind of beatings or brain damage. I’m just real quick on the gun.”
It’s a good thing the fight went on
Reflecting on the matter, Hackleman realized that his team was right when they dismissed his call to stop the fight just before the final round began. The veteran cornerman said the last thing he ever wanted to happen is to receive a handful of backlash and to get the epic fight marred with controversies.
“I’m thankful they didn’t [stop it],” Hackleman admitted. “I know this wouldn’t have gone well with anyone. It would have made a lot of people really unhappy, and I don’t want it to be about me. I would have thrown it in after the third. I would have been completely happy with the fight stopping there. I saw no reason for it to go on after that.”
Hackleman is retiring
Speaking on MMA on SiriusXM, Hackleman revealed that Teixeira’s UFC 283 title fight was the last time he would corner a fight. He said he should’ve done it a long time ago as he felt he is too old for the fight game.
“I have a condition called O.A.F… old as f**k. [laughs],” Hackleman said. “No, I have been cornering for a long time. It’s a big thing with me and I talked to Tony Robbins about it. I’m not trying to be a name-dropper but he did change my mind. I was gonna retire from it right when Chuck [Liddell] was done. Tony Robbins basically sat me down… right in my face and he had his hands on me like ‘You don’t have the right to retire right now, you have too many people depending on you.’ Like Glover and some other top fighters back then… ‘You need to be there for them and when they’re done, then you can retire.’”
He continued, “The last few years have been really hard since I’ve been doin’t it. I’ve had breakdowns. I get nervous… It’s the worst feeling in the world, I would pay so much money just not to do it.”
"I have a condition called O.A.F… old as f**k." 🤣
Following #UFC283, John Hackleman (@Pit_Master) explains his decision to retire from cornering.
@DinThomas @RJcliffordMMA | 'MMA Today' pic.twitter.com/MzehWev64y
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) January 24, 2023
Looking back at it, it’s quite understandable why Hackleman did what he did. It can be recalled that Hill was abusing Teixeira with his vicious striking, setting a light heavyweight single fight record of 232 significant strikes landed en route to a championship. Moreover, Teixeira’s badly-beaten face also speaks volumes about the pain he was dealing with it.
Last night saw @JamahalH set a new single-fight light heavyweight record of 232 significant strikes on his way to the title 📚 #UFC283 pic.twitter.com/9uFlNR40V3
— UFC (@ufc) January 22, 2023
As it stands, Hill awaits how things will pan out in the light heavyweight division to see who will be his first title challenger. Jiri Prochazka has already put his name on the list.
On the other hand, Teixeira has gone winless in his last two trips to the Octagon and at 43 years old, decided to call it quits.
