Anthony Smith vs Glover Teixeira
14th May 0415hrs
MMA – USA – UFC
Pick Smith by KO TKO Submission or DQ
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: Even Money odds taken 23:35 GMT Tuesday, 12th May
Hot off the heels of the weekend’s UFC 249 action where there was a massive upset with Justin Gaethje beating Tony Ferguson, the MMA action returns this midwekk. The action continues in Florida behind closed doors as the UFC looks to catch up on some missed fixtures.
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Can Lionheart Smith
This is a pressure fight for both of these. Smith’s big shot came for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship title against Jon Jones in March last year. He lost that on a decision. So he has been working his way back up the ladder.
The only fight that Anthony Smith has had since then was in June last year against Alexander Gustafsson in a UFC Fight Night contest. The professional record for Smith is at 33-14 with 17 of those victories coming by knockout.
This looks as if it likely to be a longer tactical fight, but it is hard to see it going all the way. So it’s worth looking towards Rounds betting. More so because Smith is the odds-on favourite in the match outright and not the greatest value there.
Smith is an explosive type. He is pretty unpredictable and has lost two of his last six bouts. But the aggression and showmanship is there, but it’s not easy on paper to really separate the two of these.
His opponent will be kept to keep this tactical to try and take some sting out of Smith. But Smith isn’t always easily contained.
Smith did win Performance of the NIght in beating Gustafssson by a submission, and his last two wins have been by rear-naked chokes. He is a very well rounded fighter.
A win in this one and the next fight Smith takes could be a championship one. A loss and that would be a massive setback for him.
Teixeira bringing the form
Given the underdog success of Justin Gaethje over Tony Ferguson in the weekend’s big action, Glover Teixeira will take some confidence from having seen that. The 40 year old has won his last three fights, so is bringing a bit of form.
The Brazilian though, really isn’t up there at the top of the game. Teixeira really has nothing happening here in terms of an upward swing towards championship fights. He holds a 30-7 career record, with 17 of those 30 wins coming by knockout.
Glover has lost two of his last six bouts. His most recent fight was against Nikita Krylov in September, and he got that only via a split decision. He really doesn’t have anything to lose at this stage of his career.
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He isn’t going to want to get into a big cardio-burn type of fight, with grappling. The Brazilian is going to be better suited to taking his time and dragging this out into a tactical battle.
If he can slow Smith down somehow, that will keep him in this.
Half of Teixeira’s last four fights have gone to a decision. The last time however he was in a five-round bout was in 2017 when he lost to Alexander Gustafsson.
Anthony Smith vs Glover Teixeira Betting Advice
We would give the Brazilian the benefit of the doubt and suggest that he could stick in there for three rounds. It’s hard to see much beyond that though, not against the energetic Lionheart.
Key Facts – Anthony Smith vs Glover Teixeira Betting Tip
- Anthony Smith is 33-14 (17 KOs)
- Anthony Smith is ranked 3rd in the Light Heavyweight division
- Glover Teixeira is 30-7 (17 KOs)
We don’t see an upset happening in this one and therefore it’s all about when Smith could finish him off. A Smith in Round 3 wager may just be worth pushing towards.
The best betting odds for Anthony Smith vs Glover Teixeira
Anthony Smith to win: 4/7 at Bet365
Glover Teixeira: 6/4 at Bet365
