UFC on ESPN+: Smith vs Teixeira Main Card Betting Odds and Picks

Four days after UFC 249, the UFC returns to the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida for its second event since the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

UFC on ESPN 9 features two light heavyweight contenders looking for another shot at glory as former title challengers Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira square off in the main event. In the co-main event, Ovince Saint Preux will make his heavyweight debut against Ben Rothwell.

Let’s take a look at the main card of UFC of ESPN on ESPN 9 and pick our winners for Wednesday night’s fights:

Anthony Smith vs Glover Teixeira

Anthony Smith is the 3rd ranked light heavyweight contender in the UFC. Lionheart challenged Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 235. This will be Smith’s first bout since his submission win over Alexander Gustafsson last June where he suffered a badly broken hand.

Smith is 6-4 tall with a reach of 76 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 33-14 with 17 knockouts and 12 wins via submission. Lionheart has won seven out of his last nine bouts with his only losses coming at the hands of Thiago Santos and Jon Jones. All seven wins have been via stoppage.

Glover Teixeira is the 8th ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. The 40-year old Brazilian is a former member of the Brazilian National wrestling team. He challenged Jon Jones for the 205-pound belt at UFC 172 but lost via unanimous decision. Teixeira is coming off a split decision win over Nikita Krylov at UFC Fight Night 158.

Teixeira is 6-2 tall with a reach of 74 inches and fights as an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 30-7 with 17 knockouts and 8 wins via submission. Since losing three of five bouts from 2016-2018, he has picked up three consecutive victories, including two submission victories.

This will be Smith’s first bout since submitting Alexander Gustaffson last June. He suffered a broken hand in that fight and has been out rehabilitating his injury and Lionheart isn’t taking any tune-up bouts as he is fighting Glover Teixeira.

Teixeira used to be one of the most feared punchers at 205 but he is already 40 years old and has lost a step or two. He still has the power but against a hungry lion like Smith who is an aggressive striker who gets in the face of his foes, Teixeira is at a disadvantage here. Both love to stand and trade but Smith has more technique and patience.

Prediction: Anthony Smith (-175)

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Ben Rothwell vs Ovince Saint Preux

Ben Rothwell is a former USMMA heavyweight champion who also fought for the IFL and Affliction. The 38-year old stands 6-4 with a reach of 78 ½ inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 37-12 with 28 knockouts and six wins via submission. Rothwell is coming off a knockout win over Stefan Struve last December.

Ovince Saint Preux is a veteran of Strikeforce, XFC, and Shark Fights. OSP stands 6-3 ½ tall with a reach of 80 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He owns a record of 24-13 with 11 knockouts and 8 wins via submission. Saint Preux last win against Michal Oleksiejczuk came via Von Flue choke, his fourth career win using that rare submission hold.

Saint Preux moves up to heavyweight after losing three of his last five at 205. But he has his hands full here against Rothwell, an imposing figure who has true heavyweight knockout power. Big Ben though only has one win in four years and that happened in his last bout.

Saint Preux is effective when he is dictating the pace of the fight but against a much bigger man, he might be forced to fight backing up. That’s not what he likes as he can easily be lured into a brawl which isn’t good against a hard-hitting heavyweight like Rothwell. I’ll take my chances with the bigger man.

Prediction: Ben Rothwell (+120)

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Alexander Hernandez vs Drew Dober

Alexander Hernandez is the 15th ranked lightweight in the UFC. The 27-year old stands 5-9 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is an orthodox fighter. Hernandez is 11-2 with four knockouts and two wins via submission. He is coming off a decision win over Francisco Trinaldo.

Drew Dober was a contestant at The Ultimate Fighter 15. The 31-year old is 5-8 tall and has a reach of 70 inches while fighting as a southpaw. Dober has a record of 22-9 with nine knockouts and six wins via submission. He is coming off a knockout win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 246.

Hernandez needs a lot of space to do his work He likes to fight a kickboxing style by throwing long kicks before unleashing his punch combinations. He also has a good chin which he proved when he fought Cowboy Cerrone.

Dober is a fast starter who is quick on his feet. He likes to close the distance by firing shots at his opponent. Dober is an aggressive fighter who has a high output. However, he also gets more often because of his style. I think Dober overwhelms Hernandez here and wins this via knockout.

Prediction: Drew Dober (-125)

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Ricky Simon vs Ray Borg

Ricky Simon is the former LFA bantamweight champion. The 27-year old from Washington has a record of 15-3 with 5 knockouts and 2 wins via submission. He stands 5-6 tall and has a reach of 69 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter. Simon is coming off back to back losses to Urijah Faber and Rob Font.

Ray Borg is a veteran of promotions like King of the Cage and Legacy Fighting Championship. The 26-year old from Tucson in Arizona has a record of 13-4 with one knockout and six wins via submission. He is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-4 and has a reach of 63 inches.

Simon likes to brawl and he likes to swing for the fences. However, he often leaves his chin open to get countered, leading to disaster. He has a good wrestling background and has landed multiple takedowns in four out of his last five bouts.

Borg is a more patient fighter who wastes no time bouncing around. He waits for the opportunity to launch counters or shoot for takedowns. He has excellent wrestling and has a 51% takedown accuracy. Once he gets his hand on his foes, he smothers them and doesn’t give them any room to breathe.

Prediction: Ray Borg (+135)

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Karl Roberson vs Marvin Vettori

Karl Roberson is a former kickboxer who made his way to the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series. The 29-year old from New Jersey stands 6-1 tall and has a reach of 74 inches while fighting out of the southpaw stance. He has a record of 9-2 with two knockouts and four wins by submission.

Marvin Vettori is the former Venator Fighting championship middleweight champion. This 26-year old Italian is also a southpaw who stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 74 inches. He holds a record of 14-4-1 with two knockouts and eight wins via submission. Vettori is 4-2-1 in seven UFC fights and is coming off back to back unanimous decision wins.

When it comes to striking, Vettori is more aggressive and he has a very good striking differential. If he can’t win standing up, he has an excellent submission game which has produced eight submission wins.

On the other hand, Roberson has great kickboxing skills and is a very patient striker. He is a very technical fighter who has outstruck five out of his six UFC opponents. However, he has been submitted twice and Vettori has good submission skills. I think Vettori has more ways to win here.

Prediction: Marvin Vettori (-175)

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