Prochazka Betting Favorite as Challenger
The underdog has won the last three UFC Light Heavyweight Championship fights but that streak ends in emphatic fashion on Saturday. Jiri Prochazka, despite an untested ground game, should beat Glover Teixeira. The UFC odds have Prochazka as a decided favorite in what should be a short fight at two rounds or fewer.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and UFC odds for Teixeira vs Prochazka. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Teixeira an Old Man
Don’t let the fact that he’s on a six-fight winning streak fool you: Glover Teixeira is old and not just because he’s 43. The Brazilian has been through the wringer and taken plenty of damage in his UFC career. He’s been knocked out twice and has fought plenty of five-round wars.
Not to discredit Teixeira, but a lot of his wins are due to the lack of competition in the division. Jan Blachowicz also won the championship for the same fact. Teixeira did beat the last three fighters to challenge for a belt but they are all grizzled veterans like him.
Against a hungry up-and-comer like Prochazka, Teixeira is facing a disadvantage. Still, the champion is 5-2 as an underdog since he first lost in the UFC – in a title fight against Jon Jones. It could be worth betting online on him if his line continues to climb.
Prochazka Keeps 205 a Revolving Door
Before Jon Jones won the title, the division was a revolving door with different fighters winning the title every year. We’re in the same situation now with Prochazka set to knock Teixeira out to become the third light heavyweight champ in two years. Online sports betting, lines have Prochazka as over a 2-1 favorite.
The Muay Thai specialist knocked Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir out cold to start his UFC career. Not only were the two former title challengers but no fighter had ever finished them in that fashion. Now, Prochazka will look to do the same to Teixeira. If his training with Henry Cejudo pays off, Teixeira won’t last too long.
Prochazka will need to fend of Teixeira’s relentless wrestling. The Brazilian averages over two takedowns per 15 minutes at a 39 percent clip. Even if Teixeira can’t get Prochazka down right away, he will keep coming at him. This gives the Czech fighter ample time to find that well-placed punch and put him away.
Teixeira vs Prochazka Head-to-Head
Prochazka is the bigger fighter in this bout. The challenger boasts a four-inch reach advantage over Teixeira. More notably, he is 13 years the junior to Teixeira. His sample size is only two fights, but Prochazka puts up a breakneck pace in his fights with 14 significant strikes exchanged per minute between him and his opponent.
Teixeira vs Prochazka Fight Information
- Fight: Teixeira (c) (33-7-0) vs Prochazka (28-3-1)
- Location: Singapore Indoor Stadium
- Day/Time: Saturday, June 11, 10 p.m. ET
- Teixeira vs Prochazka Live stream: UFC Fight Pass
Teixeira vs Prochazka Betting Lines
Teixeira vs Prochazka Prediction
There is plenty of action on the champion thanks to being an underdog. Some folks see this as a 50/50 proposition with Teixeira either submitting Prochazka or Prochazka knocking him out. While our pick is the latter, Prochazka’s unproven grappling makes it difficult to lay that juice on him. If betting Prochazka, it may be best to throw him in a parlay with another fight in June.
Betting the under 1½ rounds is the best UFC bet here. Prochazka fights at a rapid pace and will want to end this fight quickly while nearly 40% of Teixeira’s fights have ended within the first 1½ rounds.
