The newly crowned 42-year-old champ opened as a long underdog at top offshore sportsbooks. Glover Teixeira enters the Octagon for the first time ever as the UFC light heavyweight champion. He puts his belt on the line against challenger Jiri Prochazka in the main event of UFC 275. This event will take place on Saturday, June 11, at Singapore Indoor Stadium. It appears as if Teixeira still has much to prove in his first-ever title defense.
A UFC Light Heavyweight Championship fight between current champion Glover Teixeira and erstwhile Rizin Light Heavyweight Champion Jiří Procházka was originally scheduled to take place at UFC 274. However, it was eventually moved to headline UFC 275 for reasons that have remained unknown (Uncle Dana works in mysterious ways, as they say in the parlance of our times).
UFC 275 Teixeira vs. Prochazka Betting Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Glover Teixeira | +165 |
| Jiri Prochazka | -205 |
Betting Glover Teixeira
Glover Teixeira is the underdog at the best online sportsbooks. Teixeira has not garnered respect from top offshore sportsbooks in recent years. The Brazilian Pit Bull has had lengthy average odds of +197 in his last three bouts. He has not been the fave in any match during his six-fight winning streak.
Glover Teixeira has demonstrated that a fighter’s age is no impediment to claiming their first-ever UFC gold. Just two days after his 42nd birthday, Teixeira became the second-oldest champion in promotional history. He stunningly upset Jan Blachowicz at UFC 267.
The second-round submission remains a highlight for the Brazilian Pit Bull. Teixeira has finished foes five times in that span. That includes four submissions. He now leads all UFC light heavyweights with 13 career finishes as well as seven submission wins.
As he showed in his last outing, Teixeira still has plenty of punching power. He averages 3.72 significant strikes landed per minute. The question is, can he stand up to the demolishing haymakers that Prochazka will throw, considering his glass jaw reputation.
The Brazilian Pit Bull has established his ability to best opponents standing up or on the ground during his current roll. He offers big value at top offshore sportsbooks.
Betting Jiri Procházka
Jiri Prochazka will step into the Octagon as a clear betting favorite for the first time when he clashes with Teixeira. Denisa was as good as advertised in his promotional debut at UFC 251. He claimed a second-round KO win over Volkan Oezdemir as a +150 dog. He followed that up with another KO win in his fight with Dominick Reyes at UFC Vegas 25. That time he paid out as a near-even -115 bet.
Prochazka made the transition to the UFC two years ago with a reputation as a dominant finisher. He has lived up to the hype. The Czech saw 21 of his first 23 wins as a pro come within five minutes. 21 of those wins came by knockout. Prochazka has always risen to the top of the division wherever he fights.
He won and successfully defended both the GCF and Rizin light heavyweight titles. The 29-year-old has overwhelmed opponents with significant strikes in his two past UFC contests. He landed an average of 7.19 strikes per minute in his wins over Oezdemir and Reyes.
However, Denisa has also been on the wrong end of quick finishes in two of his three career losses. And with little experience on the ground, he could find himself in deep sh*t against an accomplished wrestler such as Teixeira. If he wants to claim the belt from Teixeira, he will have to waste little time going about it. The longer the fight goes, the more it will favor a savvy veteran such as Teixeira.
UFC 275 Pick: Teixeira (+165)
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