UFC Fight Night: Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira Betting Guide (2020)
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UFC 249 came and went without a major hitch, as the company avoided any wide-scale outbreaks, and all the fights (except one) went smoothly.
In what’s promised to be an even better production, UFC Fight Night: Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira will take place on Wednesday night at the same venue in Jacksonville, Florida. Streamed in its entirety on ESPN+, the night will feature 11 fights in total, and it offers some great matchups on both the prelim and main card.
Anthony Smith faces off against Glover Teixeira in a light heavyweight bout, and both fighters have their eyes on a rematch with current champ Jon Jones. Ranked at No. 4 and No. 8, respectively, a win in this one should propel the victor one step close to that bout — and a level that both fighters have rarely seen in their combined 12 years with the company.
Let’s take a closer look at what should be one of the best main events of the year. And find odds across all US sportsbooks via our consensus UFC odds.
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These odds came from FanDuel Sportsbook on May 12, 2020.
Anthony Smith (32-14-0) vs. Glover Teixeira (30-7-0)
Just one fight removed from his first shot at the light heavyweight belt against John Jones, Smith has one thing on his mind: a rematch. While he lost outright that night, Smith took Jones the distance and showed that he could compete at the sport’s highest level.
Smith’s loss to Jones was only his third UFC loss. The last time we saw Smith inside the octagon came in June 2019, when he earned a fourth-round choke win over Alexander Gustafsson in Sweden.
Most recently, Smith made news outside the octagon for an unfortunate reason. On April 5, Smith fought off an intruder who gained entry to his home in what he described “as one of the toughest fights†of his life.
Smith will have to deal with one of the most legendary strikers in the sport in Glover Teixeira on the other side of the octagon. Winner of his four of his last five, the 40-year old Teixeira is making one last push for the belt, most recently fighting Jones for it in 2014 to end what was then a 20-fight win streak.
With another shot at the belt on the line, I can’t see either fighter allowing the judges to decide this one. Having never been submitted in his career, Smith has made it a point to (at least publicly) to push for just that in this one.
In the end, I could see Smith overlooking the older Teixeira in this spot. With the weight of his April incident still fresh on his mind among general things related to the pandemic, I predict Smith will come into this one distracted, allowing himself to get caught by the heavy-handed Teixeira.
Pick: Glover Teixeira by KO/TKO (+700)
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TJ Perun is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.