The UFC goes abroad again this week, returning to the wildly successful “Fight Island” in the UAE. With a belt on the line in both the co-main and main events, the main card slated for 2 p.m. EST is full of great fights.
Let’s take a closer look at the main event between light heavyweights Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira to find the best betting value.
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| Jan Blachowicz | -310 | -300 | -279 | -270 |
| Glover Teixeira | +240 | +235 | +225 | +230 |
Betting Profile: Jan Blachowicz (28-8-0)
Last Five Fights
| W | W | W | W | W |
Blachowicz’s last fight, a title defense against a top-five pound-for-pound fighter in Israel Adesanya, was one of the biggest of his career. Adesanya looked mortal for the first time in his career, winning the first round but largely struggling to keep up with Blachowicz over the back half of the fight.
Blachowicz can strike with the best of them. He enters Saturday ranked second in the division in takedown accuracy, holding an edge over Teixeira by 20%.
Betting Profile: Glover Teixeira (32-7-0)
Last Five Fights
| W | W | W | W | W |
Teixeira will get another shot at the title for the first time since losing to then-champion Jon Jones in 2014. He hasn’t gone five rounds in a fight since that April night, which is especially concerning since wind could be an issue this weekend.
With a win, Teixeira would be the first fighter since Randy Couture to win a title fight over the age of 40.
Bottom Line?
Teixeira has certainly earned this opportunity, and I expect him to put on a strong showing. However, Blachowicz will be way too much for him in this one.
The rest of the division is one of the shallowest in UFC, so a win for Blachowicz sets up another potential catchweight fight as the fighter looks to expand his footprint beyond light heavyweights and climb the pound-for-pound ranks.
Pick: Jan Blachowicz Inside the Distance -110
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