UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More

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Old school meets new school in the UFC 275 headliner as Jiri Prochazka will try to take away the light heavyweight championship from Glover Teixeira in an event set to go down in Kallang, Singapore.

Teixeira took the long route to becoming a UFC champion. He worked for nearly a decade in the 205-pound division between title shots and came through in his second attempt.

Prochazka hasn’t had to wait long at all for his chance to become a champion. He has just two UFC fights to his name, but he’s made the most of them. Two knockout wins have fast-tracked him to a title shot.

A flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Taila Santos makes it a championship doubleheader. Shevchenko will look to continue her reign of dominance against a new contender in Santos.

Here’s a look at the whole schedule as well as predictions for the biggest fights of the night.

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Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Main Card (ESPN+ pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

• Glover Teixeira (c) +170 ($100 wager wins $170) vs. Jiri Prochazka -200 (wager $200 to win $100)—light heavyweight championship
• Valentina Shevchenko (c) -630 vs. Taila Santos +450—women’s flyweight championship
• Joanna Jedrzejczyk +140 vs. Zhang Weili -160
• Jack Della Maddalena -155 vs. Ramazan Emeev +135
• Rogerio Bontorin +185 vs. Manel Kape -225

Prelims (ESPN2/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

• Seungwoo Choi -235 vs. Josh Culibao +190
• Brendan Allen -320 vs. Jacob Malkoun +250
• Steve Garcia -180 vs. Maheshate +155
• Andre Fialho -145 vs. Jake Matthews +125

Early Prelims (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET)

• Silvana Gomez Juarez -140 vs. Liang Na +120
• Joselyne Edwards -155 vs. Ramona Pascual +135
• Batgerel Danaa -140 vs. Kyung Ho Kang +120

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

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Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Jiri Prochazka is the star the light heavyweight division has needed since the departure of Jon Jones.

The former champion might not have been the most well-liked fighter on the roster, but he brought constant attention to the division. His rivalries with the likes of Daniel Cormier, Rashad Evans and Alexander Gustafsson made the division interesting and gave it a dominant champion.

Since he left to pursue the heavyweight title, Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira have held the title. They were nice stories, representing two veterans who waited their turn and finally had their moment after years of dedication and improvement.

But Prochazka has the potential to once again give the division a star. He has a unique style and look, and he has the skills to create highlight-reel knockouts.

He’ll look to add Teixeira to that reel. Knocking out the current champion is no easy task, and the 42-year-old has only been knocked out twice in his career—Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson are the only ones to do it.

Prochazka has shown that his striking is on that level, though. He has the opportunity to create a changing of the guard.

Prediction: Prochazka via third-round TKO

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Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Taila Santos is a good fighter. Valentina Shevchenko is a great fighter.

That’s really what the women’s flyweight title co-main event comes down to.

Santos has made her mark on a division that’s been run by Shevchenko for nearly four years. Bullet has defended her belt six times in that span and holds career wins over the likes of Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Holly Holm, Julianna Pena and Jessica Andrade.

None of those have been particularly close. Shevchenko’s only losses since 2015 have come against Amanda Nunes and both were decisions (one was split).

The problem for Santos is that Shevchenko has skills wherever the fight takes place. She is a strong kickboxer on the feet but can bludgeon opponents in the clinch and has the grappling chops to neutralize opponents on the ground.

Santos is a good striker with some pop in her hands. Expect Shevchenko to shut that down with plenty of clinch work and earn another comprehensive title defense.

Prediction: Shevchenko via decision

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Harry How/Getty Images

The last two fights of the evening have belts on the line and feature elite talent. They still might not hold up to their predecessor on the card.

The last time Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Zhang Weili met up in the Octagon they put on a bout that will undoubtedly be inducted into the Hall of Fame one day. They combined to land 351 significant strikes in an all-out donnybrook that saw Weili take the split decision.

Since then, Weili has fought Rose Namajunas twice and came up short both times with the championship on the line.

Joanna Violence has been on the shelf since her loss to Weili. So both are in need of a win to rekindle their chances at earning another crack at the title.

Now that Carla Esparza holds the belt, the division is wide open.

Last time, it was Weili’s ability to mix things up with her takedown attempts and her power that were the difference. Jedrzejczyk landed more strikes, but the judges favored the damage of Weili’s striking.

That’s not going to change. This will once again deliver as one of the most entertaining fights of the night, but it’s going to be a fast-paced striking affair, and that favors Weili.

Prediction: Weili via decision

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