We're inching close to UFC 275 on June 11, which goes down overseas in Singapore. The massive pay-per-view features two championship fights and another highly-anticipated rematch. To get the three best betting picks for UFC 275, you'll want to read this entire article!
Teixeira vs. Prochazka Betting Pick
It’s not all that often that title-holders are underdogs in their defense but that’s the exact scenario here. The light heavyweight champion Teixeira is an almost a 2-to-1 underdog to lose the title versus Prochazka, per the best online sportsbooks. Here are the current odds for the UFC 275 main event:
At the ripe age of 42 years old, Teixeira shockingly won the belt, beating Jan Blachowicz to become the oldest first-time champion in UFC history. We mention Teixeira's age cause that weighs us on heavily when picking who wins at UFC 275. You see, Prochazka is 13 years his junior. And not only is the Czech fighter young, but he’s also highly dangerous.
Prochazka has won 10 consecutive times via stoppage (over his career, 25-of-28 victories came by knockout). Sure, eight of those victories may have come against lesser opponents in Rizin (he signed with UFC in 2020), but there’s no denying his one-hit KO ability — just ask his most recent victim, Dominick Cruz. His power is especially dangerous against someone 42 years old, who is knocking on the door of the undefeated “father time” already.
Of course, Prochazka needs to keep this fight upright if he wants to score the stoppage. And to his credit, Teixeira remains a master on the ground, age be damnned. Ultimately, this fight will be decided by this — where does the fight take place? Standing up or the mat?
Our money says the fight stays mostly standing up, which makes Prochazka our betting pick to win. He’s bigger (owning a two-inch height and four-inch reach advantage), he’s younger, and he’s more athletic. Plus it’s not like Teixeira is all that skillful at getting takedowns in the first place (his takedown accuracy rate is just 39%). This main event has Prochazka KO written all over it.
Shevchenko vs. Santos Betting Pick
Another Shevchenko title fight, another lopsided betting line in her favor. This time the featherlight champ is -650 betting favorite on the moneyline. Unless you think Santos is scoring the upset (we sure don’t), there’s little betting value with the current moneyline. Therefore, we’re eyeing the Shevchenko vs. Santos over/under bet instead. Here’s how top UFC betting sites have that pegged:
Since a loss to Amanda Nunes almost five years ago, Shevchenko has strung together eight straight wins in a barrage of ways — five via KO, two by decision, and another through submission. Though, most of these wins came rather late with five fights going until at least the third round, which oddsmakers have conveniently set this over/under at.
If Santos is to have any chance in this title matchup, she likely needs to get Shevchenko on the ground. While the Brazilian Santos does have a Muy Thai background, she isn’t going to outdo Shevchenko on their feet, no way. Rather it’s her jiu-jitsu skills that are more likely to give the title-holder problems.
After dispatching seemingly everyone, this might be Shevchenko’s toughest remaining foe in this division. Santos is well-sized and holds a very respectable 19-1 record (with 13 finishes). At the very least, she survives past the 3.5-round mark. Our final prediction is Shevchenko wins by decision so hammer the over!
Zhang vs. Jedrzejczyk Betting Pick
The first time Zhang and Jedrzejczyk fought back in March 2020, the two had arguably the best women’s fight in promotion history (from an entertainment value perspective). Heck, it has a strong case to be just as good as any men bout ever. Anyway, the all-time night would end with Zhang scoring the decision victory, and cause of that, it’s likely no surprise why Zhang is favored going into the rematch:
Curiously, Jedrzejczyk hasn’t fought a single time since the two’s war, which is now 27 months ago. Generally speaking, long layoffs aren’t good in any sport, little less MMA — we mean, who gets better when they don’t compete? Zhang, meanwhile, lost two fights against the one-time queen of the strawweight division, Rose Namajunas (though, we'd argue she was robbed in the second one_.
It’s a damn shame this fight is only scheduled for three rounds and no Nate Diaz treatment for five. But when picking a winner, we can’t overlook Jedrzejczyk inactivity. Even in two recent losses, Zhang has sharpened her in-ring skills, which should help her seal a victory. Still, we’re expecting a firework show like the first meeting so get your popcorn ready for this one!
How To Bet On UFC 275
We only covered the top UFC 275 bets, but of course, there's plenty more. All in all, 12 fights are scheduled for the show when the rest of the card is accounted for. To wager on all these fights, you're best "bet" is one of the popular betting sites listed underneath this paragraph. Whether it's this UFC card or any other, you'll be hard-pressed to find a fight bet NOT carried by any one of these bookies.
