UFC 275 fight card primer: Teixeira vs. Procházka

Glover Teixeira and Jiri Procházka at weigh-ins for UFC 275. | Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images

Get up to date on the main event of UFC 275 between Glover Teixeira and Ji?í Procházka.  The main event of UFC 275 wil…


Glover Teixeira and Jiri Procházka at weigh-ins for UFC 275.
Glover Teixeira and Jiri Procházka at weigh-ins for UFC 275. | Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images

Get up to date on the main event of UFC 275 between Glover Teixeira and Ji?í Procházka. 

The main event of UFC 275 will feature a light heavyweight fight between Glover Teixeira (33-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) and Ji?í Procházka (28-3-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC). UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Procházka airs live from Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore this Saturday, June 11th. The main card will start with a fight time of 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT, with the ESPN2/ESPN+ prelims beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT and the early prelims kicking off at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.

How do these two stack up?

Teixeira: 42 years old | 6’2” | 76” reach

Procházka: 29 years old | 6’3” | 80” reach

What have these two done recently?

Teixeira: W – Jan Blachowicz (SUB) | W – Thiago Santos (SUB) | W – Anthony Smith (TKO)

Procházka: W – Dominick Reyes (TKO) | W – Volkan Oezdemir (KO) | W – C.B. Dollaway (KO)

How did these two get here?

Moments after Glover Teixeira submitted Jan Blachowicz for the UFC light heavyweight championship, his next opponent was essentially set. Watching the fight from the crowd was Ji?í Procházka, the former RIZIN FF light heavyweight champion who flew into Abu Dhabi to serve as a backup fighter for either Teixeira or Blachowicz. Although he was not needed that night, Procházka left with information on Teixeira to prepare for his first championship opportunity in the UFC.

It took over seven years, but Teixeira earned another shot at gold after winning five consecutive fights. The Brazilian finished all but one of those opponents, including former title challengers Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos. Teixeira went on to submit ex-champion Blachowicz at UFC 267 to become the oldest first-time champion in UFC history.

Two fights into his UFC career, and Procházka has already become a ranked contender. ‘Denisa’ scored highlight-reel knockouts of Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes at UFC 251 and UFC Vegas 25, respectively.

Why should you care?

Can Teixeira deal with the awkward style of Procházka? Has Procházka worked on his takedown defense? Guess we’ll find out on Saturday night.