UFC 267 predictions — Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira: Battle card, odds, prelims, professional picks

UFC 267 has arrived. The MMA promotion is again on Battle Island for a jam-packed occasion that options two title fights and return of among the high prospects and rising contenders on the earth. All of it goes down on Saturday, Oct. 30, from Abu Dhabi and can air reside on ESPN+ totally free along with your subscription to the service within the early afternoon on the East Coast.

In the principle occasion, Jan Blachowicz will make his second protection of the UFC mild heavyweight championship when he takes on Glover Teixeira, who enters on a five-fight profitable streak. Blachowicz is coming off a powerful win over middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in March.

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After dropping the bantamweight title by way of disqualification, Petr Yan was initially scheduled to rematch Aljamain Sterling for the championship within the co-main occasion. Nonetheless, lingering neck points that required surgical procedure after their first assembly pressured Sterling out of the bout and allowed Cory Sandhagen to step in. Sandhagen and Yan will now battle for the interim title at 135 kilos within the uncommon title combat with each males coming off a loss after Sandhagen suffered a disputed choice defeat by the hands of former champ TJ Dillashaw in July.

There’s additionally loads of fascinating fights filling out the undercard from Battle Island. Pink-hot light-weight Islam Makhachev is again in a key battle with Dan Hooker. The Russian has received eight straight fights heading into this showdown with Hooker and hopes {that a} win can get him nearer to a title shot. Plus, veteran heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Marcin Tybura are set to throwdown whereas mild heavyweights Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir open the festivities.

With a lot occurring on Saturday evening, let’s take a better have a look at the total combat card with the most recent odds from Caesars Sportsbook earlier than we get to our employees predictions and picks for the PPV portion of the festivities.

UFC 267 combat card, odds

• Jan Blachowicz (c) -300 vs. Glover Teixeira +240, mild heavyweight championship
• Petr Yan -220 vs. Cory Sandhagen +180, interim bantamweight championship
• Islam Makhachev -625 vs. Dan Hooker +450, light-weight
• Alexander Volkov -300 vs. Marcin Tybura +240, heavyweight
• Khamzat Chimaev -575 vs. Li Jingliang +425, welterweight
• Magomed Ankalaev -310 vs. Volkan Oezdemir +250, mild heavyweight
• Amanda Ribas -160 vs. Virna Jandiroba +135, girls’s strawweight
• Zubaira Tukhugov -170 vs. Ricardo Ramos +145, featherweight
• Albert Duraev -360 vs. Roman Kopylov +280, middleweight
• Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos -230 vs. Benoit Saint-Denis +190, welterweight
• Shamil Gamzatov -125 vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk +105, mild heavyweight
• Lerone Murphy -310 vs. Makwan Amirkhani +250, featherweight
• Andre Petroski -230 vs. Yaozong Hu +190, mild heavyweight
• Tagir Ulanbekhov -370 vs. Allan Nascimento +290, flyweight

With such a large most important occasion on faucet, the crew at CBS Sports activities went forward with predictions and picks for the principle card. Listed here are your choose makers: Brent Brookhouse (Fight sports activities author), Brian Campbell (Fight sports activities author, co-host of “Morning Kombat”), Matthew Coca (producer), Jack Crosby (editor), Michael Mormile (producer) and Brandon Smart (senior editor).

UFC 267 picks, predictions

Campbell on why Blachowicz will win: The champion proved towards Israel Adesanya in his first title protection simply how excessive his combat IQ is by making the important thing changes to win an in depth choice. Blachowicz might want to depend on those self same expertise towards an developed and environment friendly Teixeira in a combat that would play out like a chess match. Teixeira is highly effective on the ft and really able to controlling the motion on the bottom. But it surely’s the exercise stage of Blachowicz that should stay excessive in an effort to ensure that he convinces the judges.  

Smart on why Teixeira will win: Teixeira’s journey to this sudden second title shot is nothing wanting exceptional. Add in that the Brazilian has balanced out his sport with a robust boxing base to pair together with his legendary floor assault and it seems like an ideal recipe for an upset. This line feels very inflated off of Blachowicz’s win over Adesanya and whereas the Pol may have a hanging benefit in energy, Teixeira simply must survive these flurries lengthy sufficient to take this combat the place he desires it. Search for this to show right into a dogfight late with it reaching the scorecards. 

Brookhouse on why Blachowicz will win: Blachowicz is a weak champion. Whereas he has appeared good currently, he has struggled in fights prior to now. That stated, Teixeira would not have a horrible model for Blachowicz’s sport. The champion could be good and blend energy with persistence to choose Teixeira aside, break him down and discover a option to both end the combat or run away with the choice within the championship rounds.

Campbell on why Sandhagen will win: Though accidents have prevented each the present bantamweight champion (Aljamain Sterling) and the previous 135-pound king (TJ Dillashaw) from combating for the total title at UFC 267, Yan-Sandhagen is perhaps the perfect matchup the division may produce. And together with his size and grappling expertise, Sandhagen may also be Yan’s most tough matchup on paper. Yan can definitely smash, and it is onerous to discover a weak point in his well-rounded sport. Fortunately for Sandhagen, most of what he does is unorthodox and onerous to arrange for. Offered he can combine up his hanging patterns and do sufficient harm to maintain Yan sincere, the opening would possibly simply be there for Sandhagen to pounce. 

Brookhouse on why Yan will win: Sandhagen is a talented fighter, however one with some apparent holes in his sport. Sure, he is unorthodox and explosive, however he leaves defensive openings that open him as much as get tagged usually. Yan is the improper man to take 100 or extra strikes from (Sandhagen was hit by 110 vital strikes from Dillashaw and 106 from John Lineker) and if Sandhagen finds himself mixing it up in extended exchanges, it’ll be a foul evening for him.

Campbell on why Makhachev will win: Hooker’s story of delaying his flight house to start a protracted quarantine in New Zealand in favor of doubling down on his present momentum is an inspiring one. However Makhachev is perhaps every kind of improper for an influence transfer this massive. For as a lot as Hooker confirmed from a wrestling standpoint in his much-needed September win over Nasrat Haqparast, he’ll want far more than that to have any of the identical success towards Makhachev. A childhood pal of former light-weight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev seems to be the products when it comes to performing as a successor to his retired pal from the standpoint of sustained dominance. Make no mistake, this can be a step-up combat for Makhachev nevertheless it’s one he can win by leaning into his strengths.

Smart on why Chimaev will win: There’s loads of uncertainty round this combat for Chimaev. Not solely is he coming back from a nasty battle with COVID-19 that noticed him overtly ponder retirement, the virus took greater than a yr away from his profession. Add in the truth that the primary three wins of Chimaev’s UFC profession could be thought-about a bit random with a 17-second knockout included and this seems like the chances are usually not in the proper place. Jingliang is a particularly powerful out within the welterweight division who has a sturdy grappling base. My favourite play on this combat is over 1.5 rounds as we doubtless study simply how Chimaev’s cardio was affected by COVID-19 and the way Jingliang’s chin holds up. Chimaev ought to be capable to do sufficient to earn a call or late stoppage together with his total strain. 

Who wins Blachowicz vs. Teixeira? And what different picks do it’s essential to see for a parlay with a payout of higher than 9-1? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC 267, all from the insider who’s up practically $9,200 on MMA picks prior to now yr, and discover out.