This Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 77 co-main event will feature an intriguing striker-vs.-wrestler matchup when knockout artist Glover Teixeira and former collegiate wrestler Patrick Cummins meet in a high-stakes bout at 205.
While both men are still a few fights away from staking a claim at a title challenge, a win would ensure their placement in high profile bouts.
CURRENT ODDS
Check our online UFC Fight Night 77 odds for the latest money lines on each fighter, as we update them daily and they’re subject to chance. As of this writing, Teixeira is a big favorite at -350, with Cummins checking in at +290. Just a few weeks ago, Teixeira was at -335 and Cummins at +275, implying that more action has come in on the wrestler.
The total on rounds is 1.5 rounds, with the over at -155 and the under +135. Check the sportsbook for available prop bets, like whether the fight goes to decision, ends in a draw, or if a certain fighter wins inside the distance. Live betting is also available once the bout begins.
FIGHT BREAKDOWN
Cummins was an outstanding amateur wrestler, and those skills constitute the bread and butter of his game today. While he’s shown improvements in his standup game, his striking is still elementary compared to the more polished strikers in the division.
Instead he uses basic 1-2s to set up his takedowns. If he fails on the initial entry, Cummins will attach himself to a leg and use chain wrestling to take fights to the ground. The 34-year old is very heavy when he’s on top, and is developing a punishing ground-and-pound game.
Teixeira is first-and-foremost a striker with power. He’s most comfortable stalking and pressuring opponents, and is particularly deadly when he backs them up against the cage. The straight right is his preferred punch, but we’ve seen his left hook render competition senseless when it lands.
But just because Teixeira prefers to strike, he’s by no means a one-dimensional fighter. His takedown defense has been good, as he’s shown great balance and a solid sprawl. When he wants to wrestle, he is remarkably effective at changing levels and snatching single and double leg takedowns. And like Cummins, he’s very hard to shake off once he gets on top of you.
While the two men are only separated by four spots in the top-10, the talent gap is much wider than the rankings imply. The light heavyweight division is thinning quickly, and the fact that Cummins is the UFC’s No. 9 overall 205er speaks volumes.
Cummins’ only hope to win this fight is to drag it to the ground and control Teixeira for the majority of the fight. We saw Phil Davis acheive this with extensive chain wrestling. But Cummins is nowhere near as strong and athletic as Davis, and Teixeira has plus takedown defense to boot. I expect the Brazilian to sprawl and dish out plenty of punishment en route to a convincing three-round decision.
THE SMART PLAYS
Teixeira isn’t cheap, but it’s not like his money line to win is ridiculous. If you want better value, I like the over at -155, as two of his three most recent fights have gone the distance and the third ended just minutes before the final bell. Cummins will turn this into a clinch-heavy battle trying to take this to the ground, and that is going to burn up a lot of time.
HOW TO BET
You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! Glover Teixeira vs. Patrick Cummins takes place on on Saturday, November 7, 2015 at the Geraldo Jose de Almeida State Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The main card will be televised on FOX Sports 1 starting 10 p.m. ET.
