Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
Soccer is by far the No. 1 sport that Brazilians care about, but mixed martial arts might be No. 2 with so many legendary fighters coming from that country. It’s an all-Brazil bout that will headline this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card from the organization’s Apex facility in Las Vegas as Thiago Santos battles Glover Teixeira at light heavyweight. The main card begins at 10 p.m. and is available in the United States on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
These two were supposed to fight a couple of times earlier this year but both were called off because each tested positive for COVID-19. Brazil is getting hammered by that virus.
The light heavyweight champion is currently Jan Blachowicz with Santos as the No. 1 contender and Teixeira at No. 3, so Saturday is clearly a huge fight.
The 31-year-old Santos is 21-7 and owns a win over Blachowicz in February of last year by third-round TKO (punches) in a non-title bout. “Marrieta” then got a shot at champion and former UFC pound-for-pound king Jon Jones last July at UFC 239 and lost by split decision. No fighter had ever taken a “scorecard” against Jones previously.
Santos had to have knee surgery afterward after tearing multiple ligaments and suffering a cracked tibia. A total of 71 percent of his victories are by KO/TKO, while 43 percent of his losses are via the same. Santos is a -250 favorite Saturday.
The 40-year-old Teixeira (31-7) fought Jones for the title way back in 2014 and lost by unanimous decision. Teixeira has lost a few more times since then but enters on a four-fight winning streak. He beat Anthony Smith in May by fifth-round TKO (punches). Teixeira landed 202 strikes to 87 for Smith. A total of 58 percent of Teixeira’s wins are by KO/TKO. Just nine of his 38 pro bouts have gone to the judges (five wins, four losses). Teixeira is +195 for this one.
Meanwhile, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski takes on Tanner Boser, with neither currently ranked in the division.
The 41-year-old Arlovski (29-19), from Belarus, won the heavyweight belt way back in February 2005 and defended it twice before losing back-to-back title fights to Tim Sylvia (whom Arlovski also defended successfully against once). “The Pit Bull” bounced around for a while since then and enters with just two wins in his past seven in the Octagon. He’s a +230 underdog.
Boser (19-6-1), 29, is a Canadian with just one loss in his past six. He hasn’t been in the UFC that long and last fought in July, beating Raphael Pessoa by second-round TKO (punches). “The Bulldozer” could get into the rankings with a win and is a -300 favorite.
