By Gene Lesser
For only the second time this year, the UFC will be taking its show on the road internationally. UFC 275 goes down this Saturday night, live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The card is headlined by UFC light-heavyweight champion, Glover Teixeira who takes on the former RIZIN light-heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka. The co-main event features another title fight when, arguably the greatest female fighter of all-time, Valentina Shevchenko, defends her flyweight title against Taila Santos. Finally, in the card's featured bout, we will be treated to one of the most highly anticipated rematches of the year. Former strawweight champions, Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk look to outdo their 2020 Fight of the Year performance. As always, you'll find all of my picks for UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka at the bottom of this article and you can find my entire Betting Predators MMA article pick history here.
All of the fight odds are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. All of the stats are provided by UFCStats.com.
Glover Teixeira (+170) vs. Jiri Prochazka (-200)
Glover Teixeira's late career resurgence culminated with an unprecedented UFC title at the age of 42, the oldest age for a first time UFC champion. Now he'll have to defend his title for the first time against Jiri Prochazka, the former RIZIN light-heavyweight champion who is undefeated in 12 straight fights.
Prochazka is a mad man once the bell rings. He is certainly going to put the pressure on Teixiera early, looking to add him to long list of fighters he's finished in his career. He's currently on an insane 10-fight finishing streak, looking for number 11. The champion will have other ideas Saturday night. Teixeira will look for Prochazka to make the slightest defensive mistake during his early striking barrages that will allow him to get the fight to the mat and lock up a submission. This is your classic "Striker versus Grappler" matchup.
Prochazka's style makes him a tough opponent to corral, but he can be taken down. That alone makes backing him dicey because Teixeira only needs one take down to smoother him and lock up a submission. However, Teixeira's chin has been shaky after all of these years. He's been rocked consistently in his recent fights, but to his credit, he's weathered the storm and been victorious. This is a tough one to pick because both fighters have clear paths to victory. As a straight pick, I'm going to side Prochazka here. I believe he will test Teixeira's chin early and often while avoiding the takedowns of the champion. However, I won't be betting him. There is just too much variance in this fight for me.
If you are going to bet this fight, depending on who you take, the best way to attack it is to either take Prochazka to win by TKO/KO to bring his price down or take Teixeira at the underdog odds as well as sprinkle on him to win by submission to sweeten the pot.
Valentina Shevchenko (-630) vs. Taila Santos (+450)
Valentina Shevchenko is making a real case for greatest female MMA fighter of all-time. Her dominance over this division is historic, but she will be facing her toughest test in years in the form of Taila Santos. Santos lost her first UFC fight but since that defeat, she's won four straight and has not lost a single round in those fights.
Santos has decent power on the feet, but she is going to look to get this fight to mat where she can utilize her strong grappling skills. You can assume that she watched the Shevchenko/Maia title fight, where Maia was able to control Shevchenko and win a round. Maia ended up getting outclassed the rest of the fight, but it was still a data point that you can bet Santos noted. The question is, does it even matter? No. Shevchenko is simply on another level. She is great in all aspects of MMA with an unrelenting determination to outclass her opponents.
Simply put, Shevchenko is going to put on another clinic here. Sure, this is MMA, anything can happen and Santos is skilled enough in the grappling department to shock the world, but I do not see it happening Saturday night. I believe that Shevchenko will dominate this fight from start to finish and get the finish. Since she's moved back to the flyweight division, she's finished five of eight fights total and two straight finishes coming into this fight. Shevchenko is dangerous where ever this fight takes place. Taila Santos' grappling game plan will allow Shevchenko to excel in the clinch, trip Santos to the mat, and eventually find the finish via ground or pound or an opportunistic submission.
1.00 unit on Valentina Shevchenko To Win By Finish (TKO/KO/SUB/KO) (+120)
Zhang Weili (-170) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (+150)
Their first fight will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. It is one of the greatest UFC fights of all-time. Unfortunately, the rematch will only be a three-round affair but if the first fight is any indication then we're in for another classic. These fighters took different paths after their first fight. Zhang Weili proceeded to fight Rose Namajunas twice, losing her title in the process, while Joanna Jedrzejczyk took two years off to heal and train. Both women are looking to get back in the win column and could even be next in-line for a title shot with a convincing win Saturday night.
I expect both fighters to switch up their respective game plans against a familiar opponent. Both fighters absorbed an insane amount of damage in the first fight, so I expect them to be more defensively sound this time around. Weili has shown multiple times that she is susceptible to strikes coming from her left side. I believe Jedrzejczyk will focus on landing her check left hook while also focusing on a landing early and often. For Weili, I believe she will utilize her strength and grappling abilities. She did exactly that in her last fight against Namajunas and I expect that trend to continue here. This is such an evenly matched fight so it will be interesting to see what each fighter changes up in the rematch.
I believe the time off for Jedrzejczyk, normally a bad thing, is actaully good thing after the war she went through in 2020. It sounds like she has healed up, refocused on her training, and is motivated to get her title back. Considering that the current titleholder is a fighter she already outclassed years ago, I believe she knows that THIS is her moment. Everything lines up for her to put on a dominant performance and leave no doubt that she is next in-line for a title shot.
1.00 unit on Joanna Jedrzejczyk (+150)
Jack Della Maddalena (-155) vs. Ramazan Emeev (+135)
The UFC matchmakers put together an interesting matchup in the welterweight division as the prospect, Jack Della Maddalena, takes on UFC vet, Ramazan Emeev.
Emeev is a grinding grappler. His entire game is predicated on pressuring his opponents up against the cage, taking them down, and controlling them. Maddalena is the complete opposite. He's a high volume boxer that looks to put a pace on his opponents.
The question is, can Maddalena stop the takedowns or at the very least get back to his feet quickly? Emeev is a grinding grappler, but he does not do a good job of holding his opponents down. He is often out scrambled in a lot of his grappling exchanges. Maddalena has shown that he can scramble and work back to his feet in grappling exchanges. On the feet, I believe Maddalena will have no problem lighting Emeev up. Maddalena is going to be the more active fighter overall, throwing more volume and landing more damaging shots throughout this fight. I believe his forward pressure, volume, and damage will outweigh the control time of Emeev on the judge's scorecard. This is a step up in competition and a test for Maddalena, but one that I believe he will pass.
2.00 unit on Jack Della Maddalena (-155)
Andre Fialho (-130) vs. Jake Matthews (+110)
Dana White loves Andre Fialho, and rightfully so. The guy is an exciting and vicious knockout artist who looks for the kill every fight. He loves to stay super active as well. This will be his four fight in less than six months. He is going up against the more seasoned, Jake Matthews, who is a very well-rounded fighter in his own right.
Fialho's power is ridiculous, but because of that power he is not always defensively sound on the feet. His defensive inefficacies are often masked by his fight ending power. Matthews on the other hand struggles with elite grapplers, something Fialho is not. So Matthews will need to avoid Fialho's kill shot and outwork him. Fialho can be taken down at will. I believe that Matthews will look to out grapple Fialho throughout this fight. It will allow him to exploit Fialho's takedown defense while also protecting him from getting knocked out. Sure, Matthews is the more technical boxer in this matchup and does have a solid chin, so he could easily have success on the feet, but he is going to want to avoid Fialho's power as much as possible.
Ultimately, where ever this fight ends up, on the feet or ground, I believe that Matthews simply outworks Fialho's for the duration of this bout.
1.00 unit on Jake Matthews (+110)
"Underdog of the Night" Pizza Bet - Liang Na (+105)
I originally had Rogerio Bontorin slotted in this spot, but unfortunately he had weight cutting issues and his fight with Manel Kape was pulled from the card. Instead, I'll ride with Liang Na who has a clear path to victory against Silvana Juarez with her ground game. Juarez has the clear advantage on the feet, but Na is tough in her own right and can get off her own offense on the feet. Ultimately, I believe Na gets this fight to the ground at some point and is able to lock up a submission against Juarez, who's ground game is not good.
"Prop Bet of the Night" Pizza Bet - Brendan Allen To Win By Finish (TKO/KO/SUB/KO) (+100)
Brendan Allen is known for his grappling and submissions, but he has really focused on his boxing of late and it has shown. Jacob Malkoun is a relentless wrestler with an endless gas tank. He's strong in the clinch and does a good job of controlling his opponents throughout a fight.
The reason I like Allen to get the finish is two-fold. Allen's boxing is improving and he has enough power in his hands to hurt Malkoun who is very hittable on the feet. When he is hit, he quickly looks to clinch and get the fight to the ground. Allen has no problem with that, as he is comfortable on the mat as well. Though, he lacks the consistent wrestling skills that is needed to get his opponents to the mat, Malkoun will oblige him. Whether the fight plays out on the feet or the ground, Allen will have endless chances at finishing Malkoun. Instead of paying the -280 price on Allen, I'll take him to get the finish at even money.
"Prop Bet of the Night" Pizza Bet - Teixeira/Prochazka Under 1.5 Total Rounds (+120)
Both fighters have clear paths to finishing their opponent. Both fighters have a history of finishing their opponents early. I expect an all-violence matchup and for this fight to end quickly. A safer and related prop bet that I also like is "Fight NOT To Start Round 3 (-135)." Either way, one of these guys is getting finished early.
UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka Picks:
Main Card - 10:00 PM ET on ESPN+
Glover Teixeira (+170) vs. Jiri Prochazka (-200)
Valentina Shevchenko (-630) vs. Taila Santos (+450)
Zhang Weili (-170) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (+150)
Andre Fialho (-130) vs. Jake Matthews (+110)
Jack Della Maddalena (-155) vs. Ramazan Emeev (+135)
Preliminary Card - 8:00 PM ET on ESPN/ESPN+
Seungwoo Choi (-240) vs. Josh Culibao (+195)
Maheshate (+155) vs. Steve Garcia (-180)
Brendan Allen (-280) vs. Jacob Malkoun (+225)
Kyung Ho Kang (+115) vs. Batgerel Danaa (-135)
Early Preliminary Card - 6:00 PM ET on ESPN+
Liang Na (+105) vs. Silvana Juarez (-125)
Ramona Pascual (+145) vs. Joselyne Edwards (-165)