The bout between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka is the headliner of the FC 275. Besides that, it is the fight for the light heavyweight title, which is currently in Glover’s possession. The Brazilian veteran defeated Jan Blachowicz to earn it, and this will be his first defense. On the other side, Prochazka has a chance to continue his meteoric rise and win the UFC belt in his third bout within the organization. If he does that, the Czech will become a global sensation.
Teixeira vs Prochazka Preview
Teixeira
The Brazilian is the current champion and earned that at 42 years, becoming the second-oldest UFC champion. Teixeira was better than the Polish Power, Jan Blachowicz, whom he submitted in the second round, making a huge upset. Before the start of the event, Teixeira was an underdog, which was the fourth consecutive time to see him on that side of the odds.
Glover currently has six wins in a row, some of them against notable opponents, like Anthony Smith or Thiago Santos, both of them former challengers in the light heavyweight division. His latest three wins came via stoppage, Smith KO; Santos, and Blachowicz via submission.
He is a fantastic grappler, possibly the best in the entire organization, and his Brazilian jiu-jitsu is perfect. For the moment, he stands at 33 wins and seven losses, with 18 victories coming via knockout and ten via submission. However, we must say that many of those KOs came after a ground and pound.
Prochazka
The next best thing in the UFC is the Czech fighter. Or at least that is what most of the fans believe. The Samurai, as the fans call this guy, needs to win first, but even if he doesn’t, at 29 years of age, Prochazka is for sure one of the most talented and promising fighters in the organization.
He needed only two fights to earn the title shot. But that is only due to his impressive bio before reaching the UFC. Prochazka was the Rizin light heavyweight champion, and up until this event, he had 18 KOs in 19 straight wins. Since coming to the UFC, he beat Volkan Oezdemir via KO, and Dominick Reyes via KO, a spinning elbow, one of the year’s best moments.
He is a fantastic striker, with a reach of 80 inches, being trouble for any of his rivals. Not only that, Prochazka is very creative, and he often mixes combos which puts his opponents in a very nasty position. He is relatively quick and has the power to defend takedown attempts, and the only thing we aren’t sure about him is his cardio because there weren’t any chances to test it.
Teixeira vs Prochazka Prediction
We saw that Teixeira knows to eat heavy punches, but still, he is 42 years old. Unlike Prochazka, his cardio is proven, yet again, the Brazilian didn’t face such a powerful puncher like the Czech in the past. That inch advantage will be a very big plus for the challenger and his takedown defense. Glover isn’t that fast, he is strong, but closing the gap between him and Prochazka is his biggest test so far. That’s why we believe the Samurai has more chances to win this contest and take over the title from the veteran.
Pick: Prochazka 1/2 at BetXchange
