No. 9 light heavyweight Glover Teixeira (29-7, 17 KOs, 8 SUBs) will meet prospect Nikita Krylov (25-6, 10 KOs, 15 SUBs) at UFC on ESPN+ 16 on Saturday, September 14, 2019 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. The main card airs live on ESPN+ starting 8pm ET.
Glover Texeira isn’t ready to hang up the gloves just yet. The 39-year old has slowly declined since his heyday as a top-flight gatekeeper, but it appears he’s a long way from falling off the cliff physically. This Saturday, he’ll play the part of old guard trying to turn away a youngster in Nikita Krylov.
The 27-year old Krylov is coming off the biggest win of his career, submitting Ovince St. Preux this past April at UFC 236. While he made his UFC debut in 2013, the Ukrainian left the big show after posting a 6-3 record despite being a bright prospect in the light heavyweight division. Four straight finishes in regional promotions - including knockouts of Emanuel Newton and Fabio Maldonado - punched his ticket back to the octagon, where he’s gone 1-1 since returning.
Teixeira comes into the matchup on a two-fight win streak, with back-to-back submission wins over Karl Roberson and Ion Cutelaba. While he’s lost a few steps, Glover is still one of the most technically savvy fighters in the business, a former title challenger whose faced elite fighters like Jon Jones, Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson. Any young gun hoping to rise through the 205-pound ranks needs to get through him - making this a very important matchup for Krylov.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu, where our oddsmakers opened with Teixeira as a slight favorite. Live UFC betting at the online sportsbook lets you make in-play wagers as needed.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Glover Teixeira -105
Nikita Krylov -125
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: +225 / -305
Significant Striking Stats
Landed per minute: Teixeira 3.46 / Krylov 5.32
Accuracy: Teixeira 43% / Krylov 59%
Absorbed per minute: Teixeira 3.91 / Krylov 2.34
Defense: Teixeira 54% / Krylov 45%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Teixeira 2.09 / Krylov 0.8
Takedown accuracy: Teixeira 60% / Krylov 46%
Takedown defense: Teixeira 60% / Krylov 46%
Submission average: Teixeira 0.91 / Krylov 2.14
Bet this UFC fight at BookMaker.eu
The UFC should keep Krylov around based on entertainment value alone. An absolute wildman, Krylov charges forward and blows his wad trying to score crazy finishes. While that strategy can be effective - Tony Ferguson comes to mind - it takes a ridiculous gas tank to keep up that kind of pace. That’s something that the Ukrainian sorely lacks, though it doesn’t seem to stop him from trying to score finishes on the mat or the feet at all times. We’ve seen a few instances where he’ll completelly tire himself out after just one round.
Teixeira is exactly the type of fighter who is far too smart and well-rounded to fall prey to such unpolished tactics - there’s a reason he’s been at the top of the division for what seems like forever. Though he was primarily a knockout artist in his early UFC days, he’s an extremely underrated wrestler with a dangerous submission game. For a long time, only the best 205-pounders could beat Glover, but his most recent loss to Corey Anderson showed that a young, athletic fighter could make him look old.
That’s why Krylov has a real shot here - this version of Glover is absolutely somebody that can be overwhelmed by younger, aggressive foes.
UFC Odds Pick: Teixeira to win at -105
The Brazilian has quietly become an ageless wonder, with the ability to use his veteran savvy to find his opponents’ weaknesses. If Krylov consistently showed an ability to harness his wild aggression into effective offense, he’d be our pick. But history suggests that he will charge forward in hopes of a finish. Count on Teixeira to weather the storm and figure out a way to get his third straight win.
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