UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux betting preview

The UFC’s busy summer schedule keeps the hits coming with the next installment in the Fight Night series, headlined by a light heavyweight contest between Glover Teixeira and Ovince Saint Preux in Nashville, Tennessee Saturday. We took a look at the MMA event calender and found this bout and another headlining the UFC Fight Night card:

Glover Teixeira (-120) vs. Ovince Saint Preux (-110)
This light heavyweight bout has some of the tightest odds you’ll find in a MMA matchup. Teixeira is trying to snap a two-fight losing skid, dropping contests to Jon Jones and Phil Davis in his most recent efforts. Saint Preux isn’t on the same level as those past opponents but does present a solid challenge, winning two straight trips inside the octagon against former title holder Maurício Rua and Patrick Cummins – both wins coming via KO – and holding a hometown edge in Tennessee.

Teixeira was outpointed in those last two losses and will have to pick his spots against a heavy-handed Saint Preux. But while, Teixeira is the more skilled standup fighter he has been put on his back 12 times in those recent defeats. Saint Preux can sometimes be overly aggressive, which can open him up to counters, so his best shot may be scoring a takedown and pounding out Teixeira on the ground rather than trading with a more skilled fighter.

Michael Johnson (-170) vs. Beneil Dariush (+140)
This lightweight matchup has Johnson priced as the favorite, riding a four-fight win streak into Fight Night and ranked higher in the division. A win for either man would throw their name into the title conversation. Johnson will want to keep this fight standing against Dariush, who would prefer to take the action to the ground.

The underdog also has a four-fight streak rolling into this card, highlighted by a victory over MMA veteran Jim Miller in his most recent showing. Dariush has recorded three of his previous five wins via submission and must time his takedowns against the explosive striking of Johnson, who has scored seven of his 16 career victories via knockout. Dariush has just one loss on his record but that was a KO defeat to Ramsey Nijem, getting hurt when standing and trading with his opponent before eventually getting pounded out against the cage.