Dana White: Shogun would rather be cut than fight Teixeira

Dana White has claimed that Shogun has refused to fight Glover Teixeira.

Following Friday night’s show in Florida, White not only didn’t back off his statement, but he continued “I’ve never seen a guy at the level Shogun is at not want to fight a guy so bad.”

“Yeah, [Shogun] said he’d actually rather be cut than to have to fight [Teixeira],” White revealed on FUEL TV’s post-fight show. “Dude, nobody wants to fight this guy. We’re trying to match [Teixeira] up with somebody, but he didn’t mind fighting Brandon Vera. So, he’s fighting Brandon Vera.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m disrespecting Shogun, because I’m not. I’m just telling the truth. It’s verbatim what his people said when we talked to them. And you know me, I tell it like it is. If you don’t want that out in public, then don’t say it to me. Then don’t say it on the phone, because I’m gonna say what was said.”

Teixeira’s long-awaited big league debut had been postponed due to visa issues, but the Brazilian made up for lost time by quickly disposing of Kyle Kingsbury with a 1stRound arm triangle choke last month at UFC 146.

The 32-year-old hasn’t lost a scrap since March of 2005, rattling off 16 straight victories during that span. Although Teixeira is fairly unknown, he’s highly dangerous and that’s why Shogun opted to dodge him.

“Shogun is a warrior,” White added. “That guy has fought everybody, from Pride to the UFC. His last fight with Dan Henderson was awesome. It is what it is. It’s just one of those weird situations. I’ve never seen a guy at the level Shogun is at not want to fight a guy so bad.”

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