UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson betting preview

Two old war horses headline the latest UFC Fight Night card, taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil Saturday. Dan Henderson faces off with Vitor Belfort for the third time in their storied careers, with the two splitting their previous meetings. Here’s a look at that fight and another bout on Saturday’s card which is full of MMA betting options.

Vitor Belfort (-368) vs. Dan Henderson (+268)
Belfort comes in as the favorite in this third matchup with Henderson, having won their most recent meeting via KO after landing a crushing kick to the head nearly two years ago to the day. That capped a three-fight win streak for Belfort before a long layoff due to drug issues and injuries to opponents, eventually getting back in the ring with a hard-fought loss to Chris Weidman in May. He’s performed well despite his age and is always a KO threat, something that has hurt Henderson in recent years.

Hendo is a shell of his former self. While a warrior during his prime, Henderson has found himself finished in his last three losses, including the knockout loss to Belfort. He is, however, coming off a KO victory against Tim Boetsch, finishing the fight 28 seconds into the opening round. While respected across the sport, Henderon will be in enemy territory in Sao Palo, taking on a hostile crowd getting behind the Brazilian opponent.

Glover Teixeira (-475) vs. Patrick Cummins (+325)
Teixeira is a sizable favorite here and for good reason. The Brazilian will be performing in front of his countrymen again, looking to make up for a loss to Phil Davis in Rio de Janeiro last October. He’s coming off a win against Ovince Saint Preux, scoring a submission that earned Fight of the Night honors. His last two losses have been to elite-level competition and Cummins looks like a step down.

Cummins is a talented wrestler but could have a tough time getting Teixeira to the mat. And even if he does score the takedown, he has to be wary of his opponent’s submission skills. He is coming off a win against Rafael Cavalcante via TKO but fell to Saint Preux, so if you’re into playing MMA math, those two matchups could be telling of how this fight could play out.