UFC 275 Bets & Picks

Singapore, we are here! While not the most stacked card in 2022 thus far, I am intrigued with the Singapore crowd and there are some potential under the radar matchups that could boost the night overall. Jiri Prochazka will always be a show for the fans, but we all know how Joanna vs Weili went the first time. I am sure we are all hoping for a rerun of bout # 1. The ironman - Andre Fialho - is again fighting short notice after the Manel Kape fight was scrapped due to opponent health issues due to weight cut. Jack Della Maddalena(main card) and Brendan Allen (prelims) have a real chance at making a name for themselves tonight.

Andre Fialho (-144) vs Jake Matthews (+118)

This is far from the best fight on the card but Andre Fialho has a KO win in 4 of his last 5 fights, with that one loss being the the one and only Michel Pereira by decision. He brings a lot of excitement and intrigue to an otherwise downplayed card as a whole. Jake Matthews doesn't bring the same power to the fight but he is a real submission threat and has notable UFC wins against Diego Sanchez, Emil Meek, and Jingliang Li. Fialho has all the hype but Matthews has a real shot to surprise and finish a fight most people aren't talking about this late in the process. I see this being a back and forth bout with an eventual Decision win by Andre Fialho with a chance of late finish. The submission threat may not scare Fialho given his pressure in recent fights but it could get him in trouble if he isn't careful.

BIYC Pick: Andre Fialho by DEC

Jack Della Maddalena (-162) vs Ramazan Emeev (+132)

Jack Della Maddalena is easily one of my favorite up and coming fighters and he has put a real emphasis on finishes for his career. If we know anything, its the UFC prioritizing finishes to push a fighter up the rankings. Maddalena has an impressive Judo and boxing background, which is a credit to his finish history. Jack has only two fights in the UFC (if you consider DWCS) but he has impressed with a clear decision in Contender Series and followed that up with a 1st round finish of natural brawler Pete Rodriguez. Prior to his DWCS visit, Delly had a 9 fight finish streak which brings him to a current win streak of 11. Emeev isn't the most exciting fighter (enjoy Emeev vs Danny Roberts) but he does bring some serious wrestling skills and can be tricky on the feet. Unfortunately, he doesn't match up well with the stand up of Maddalena. If Emeev can keep this fight on the mat then it could be another boring, yet necessary decision. Maddalena showed some impressive scramble skills in his DEC win against Ange Loosa in DWCS. I see Jack Delly being too much on the feet and ending this fight with a 2nd round TKO.

BIYC Pick: Jack Della Maddalena via 2nd round TKO

Zhang Weili (-168) vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk (+136)

I wasn't sure if we would ever see this rematch, or Joanna in the cage all together for that matter. Its been a long layoff for Joanna - more than 2 years - but she is still one of the most anticipated fighters in the UFC and WMMA. She brings a ferocity and a war-like mentality to each fight that truly builds anticipation. The first fight was a hell of a banger, with a massive hematoma to show for it for Joanna, but it was largely a battle of fists. I expect to see Weili use a lot more wrestling this go around, with her recent trainings heavily involving Henry Cejudo. As we saw with the first fight, Joanna has intense pressure and output but ultimately Weili has the power and with the rules being a big topic of discussion lately, it should be noted again that damage is always the prevailing factor when going to the judges. Joanna can rack up double the amount of strikes but if Weili can continue to punish her with efficient shots the judges could very easily side with Weili(see Font vs Vera), so the path to victory for Joanna is very narrow in my eyes. I am hoping for another brawl similar to fight # 1, but I expect there to be a bit more of a calculated approach for Weili as we saw in her most recent title challenge. She didn't beat Rose according to the judges, but she looked like a much improved fighter and was less dependent on physical skills like strength to will through wins. I believe we have only seen the surface for Weili and she is a very strong candidate for 2 time featherweight champion.

BIYC Pick: Zhang Weili by DEC

Valentina Shevchenko (-750) vs Taila Santos (+490)

Valentina is less than a -1000 favorite? Been a minute since we got a fight like this where it feels The Bullet can really be challenged. She is still a heavy favorite for a reason as the current UFC holder in most title defenses (6). Schevchenko has run through this division so badly and so quickly, it seems the ONLY option moving forward with a win is to change divisions. The trilogy with Amanda Nunes is always looming based on how those fights were scored. That being said, Taila Santos continues to have her odds improve as fight night looms closer. This could be a sign of Vegas just getting its money, but I do think the community believes Santos has a shot here. Santos has impressive wins against Molly McCann, Modafferi, and most recently a submission finish of Joanne Wood. She brings impressive grappling skills and doesn't possess the same power but is willing to brawl and take one to give two. Santos is tough as hell so I don't expect a quick finish in the first minute but the pressure from Valentina I see being too much for Santos. She will need to get Schevchenko to the mat and hold pressure for a win which is a narrow path to victory. I predict Valentina Shevchenko to win by 3rd round TKO after Santos finally succumbs to the pressure of the Bullet.

BIYC Pick: Valentina Shevchenko via 3rd round TKO

Jiri Prochazka (-210) vs Glover Teixeira (+168)

SThis really is the most difficult fight to pick on the card for me personally. I can see both fighters having very clear paths to victory in their own ways. Jiri is one of the most fascinating fighters on the roster as he constantly leaves himself open to be hit, but he has such good head movement and pressure that its not easy to hit him even with so many openings. He brings constant pressure that doesn't stop - even when he takes a good shot - and that in itself can be a tool to use. Jiri had a finish of the year type against Dominick Reyes, but he did have some moments where Reyes could have finished that fight. In the limited time we have seen Jiri on the bottom, you can consider the wrestling and ground control a serious advantage for Teixeira. He has a black belt in BJJ and as we saw in his fight with Blachowicz, he can keep these big fighters on the mat based on his technique. Glover can hang on the feet with Jiri because he does have some boxing skills, but Jiri will have quite a power and speed advantage on the feet so mixing it up should almost certainly be in the game-plan for Glover. We all know a clash of styles is what makes fights and this is a perfect example. The young, exciting, finishing machine in Jiri runs into the experienced, tough, and smart as hell current champion Glover. We have now witnessed both Glover and Blachowicz revive their careers on the back end and I think that experience will show in this fight. While I will likely sit back and just enjoy this fight, I do predict a 3rd round submission win for Glover Teixeira. AND STILL

BIYC Pick: Glover Teixeira via 3rd round SUB

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Banger of the Night: Zhang Weili vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Maybe not a replay of the first fight, I still expect a banger of a fight. Both fighters will come out swinging early and could only build into a phone booth battle from there.

Biggest chance of Upset: Glover Teixeira (vs Jiri Prochazka)

This one was set in stone already as Glover is the only underdog I predicted on the night. While its far from a "lock", I expect Glover to pull it off and he has too many tools, just to dismiss his chances.

Most to Lose: Joanna Jedrzejczyk (vs Zhang Weili)

I hate to double up when not necessary, but the card isn't full of fights with big stakes. For this particular matchup, a loss could have the future for Joanna a bit murky. She could still work her way up for one last shot at Carla Esparza (if she keeps the belt) but Joanna would then have two losses to the other two contenders in that division as well as a loss to the champion at the Flyweight. A loss could have Joanna searching for big money fights rather than title shots.

Most to Gain: Jack Della Maddalena (vs Ramazan Emeev)

This isn't exactly high stakes but as we mentioned in the opening, a guy with this number of finishes and intrigue could get a real push from the UFC. We have seen this countless times, most recently with Jiri Prochazka and Khamzat Chimaev, finishes will sky rocket you to the top 5 faster than any win streak you can imagine. Already with a first round knockout in his PPV debut, another big finish will have people talking. The rise of Jack Delly has already begun!

*All bets and lines via FanDuel