UFC Fight Night 73: Complete Guide to Teixeira vs. Saint Preux Fight Card
It has been an intense midsummer's dream for UFC fans everywhere.
MMA's lead promotion has hosted seven events since the first day of summer 2015 (June 21, for the record, please consult almanacs for confirmation). That includes the epic UFC 189 and the Ronda Rousey-fest that was UFC 190.
Now, there is UFC Fight Night 73, the final in a long chain of cards before the promotion takes a couple of breaks heading into the fall. And it's the polar opposite of the event that preceded it, UFC 190.
Whereas UFC 190 had a spectacular headliner and not much else, this Saturday's event lacks star power (especially in that main event) but does have a depth of talented, if lesser-known, athletes up and down the slate.
In other words, this is the kind of card that this feature was conceived to help you navigate. Here are information capsules, predictions and viewing coordinates for every single one of the 13 fights going down this Saturday from Nashville, Tennessee.
Anthony Christodoulou vs. Scott Holtzman
1 of 13Division: Lightweight
Records: Scott Holtzman (7-0), Anthony Christodolou (12-5)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
Holtzman is a classic ground-and-pounder, and Christodolou is in a good amount of trouble here. The favorite isn't silky smooth with his game, but the former XFC champ knows enough to do the job in this case. The prospect gets it done in his UFC debut.
Prediction: Holtzman, TKO, Round 2
Marlon Vera vs. Roman Salazar
2 of 13
Division: Bantamweight
Records: Marlon Vera (6-2-1), Roman Salazar (9-3)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
Salazar had a tough go of it in his last match, when he couldn't continue because Norifumi Yamamoto put a finger in his eye. That's not what you want.
He's seeking redemption against Vera, another hard-luck competitor of late. Vera's skin infection derailed his run on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America.
Vera is the more aggressive of the two. Salazar will work from the perimeter, frustrating Vera while marking up his extremities.
Prediction: Salazar, unanimous decision
Chris Dempsey vs. Jonathan Wilson
3 of 13
Division: Light heavyweight
Records: Chris Dempsey (11-2), Jonathan Wilson (6-0)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
Am I really supposed to know who these guys are? I'm human, aren't I? I mean, if you prick me, do I not bleed?
Exactly. I'm not going to pretend like these fighters have followed some kind of illustrious path just because they're in the UFC now. Especially given that light heavyweight is pretty slim pickins right now.
Dempsey is a grinder. Wilson prefers the knockouts. Give me the guy with the wherewithal to neutralize the other guy, not to mention the fact that he has two UFC fights worth of experience, whereas this is Wilson's Octagon debut.
Prediction: Dempsey, unanimous decision
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Frankie Saenz vs. Sirwan Kakai
4 of 13
Division: Bantamweight
Records: Frankie Saenz (10-2), Sirwan Kakai (12-2)
See it on: Fox Sports 2
Kakai is a slight underdog right now in the conventional wisdom areas. Balderdash.
Saenz works in one dimension: the ground-and-pound dimension. That's what gave him the victory over Ultimate Fighting Championship Journeyman Iuri Alcantara last winter.
Kakai works in multiple dimensions. No one's going to confuse him with TJ Dillashaw anytime soon, and hey, I get it. I still like his power and his submission game, though. I think he'll find one of Saenz's limbs and do something compromising to it. Sound the upset alarms.
Prediction: Kakai, submission, Round 2
Dustin Ortiz vs. Willie Gates
5 of 13
Division: Flyweight
Records: Dustin Ortiz (14-4), Willie Gates (12-5)
See it on: Fox Sports 2
Ortiz is a really good fighter in the UFC flyweight division. He's going to re-establish that notion right here.
Remember when Justin Scoggins was the big phenom at 125 pounds? Ortiz took care of that when he outhustled the young man for a decision win.
Did he also lose to John Moraga and Joseph Benavidez, thereby suggesting he is not sustainable among the UFC's elites? Yes. Is Gates among the elites? Nah.
Prediction: Ortiz, unanimous decision
Sara McMann vs. Amanda Nunes
6 of 13
Division: Women's bantamweight
Records: Sara McMann (8-2), Amanda Nunes (10-4)
See it on: Fox Sports 2
Give it up for the pride of Takoma Park, Maryland. Awww yeah.
McMann, who is the woman in question I referred to vis a vis being the pride of Takoma Park, is literally an Olympic-level wrestler. She doesn't really get rattled. That bodes poorly for Nunes, whose entire game plan revolves around rattling the other person.
McMann weathers the storm, lands takedowns and stifles Nunes for the first W she's legitimately earned in a long time (not counting Lauren Murphy, obviously).
Prediction: McMann, unanimous decision
Uriah Hall vs. Oluwale Bamgbose
7 of 13
Division: Middleweight
Records: Uriah Hall (10-5), Oluwale Bamgbose (5-0)
See it on: Fox Sports 2
The first thing I think of when I see this matchup is how much I feel for Joe Riggs.
The long-time veteran of the sport is seemingly hanging on by a thread and once again pulled out of a fight under mysterious circumstances.
With only two weeks to prepare for his UFC debut, Bamgbose doesn't inspire a ton of confidence, outside of the fact that his nickname is The Holy War Angel, which is very hard to be mad at. Is he a good fighter? Sure thing. He has five knockouts in five pro bouts, none of which have left the first round.
But none of those verdicts came against a top-level opponent like Hall. This is going to be a fun match. Someone is going down. That someone won't be the new guy, even if Hall has been underachieving lately.
Prediction: Hall, KO, Round 2
Ray Borg vs. Geane Herrera
8 of 13
Division: Flyweight
Records: Ray Borg (8-1), Geane Herrera (8-0)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
The main card opener is a perfect illustration of why this card is so interesting for hardcore MMA fans.
Borg has been on prospect radars for a long time. Herrera has not. He's definitely a prospect, and everyone likes to see that "0" at the end of a record, but Herrera really hasn't beaten anyone good. I mean, it's quite egregious. He won one time in RFA and got promoted.
That doesn't fill me with confidence against a grappler the caliber of Borg. I don't know how he doesn't have a Star Trek type of nickname, but he doesn't. Still, I would like him to "fire the torpedoes" against the relatively unprepared Herrera. Whatever, I never watched Star Trek.
Prediction: Borg, submission, Round 2
Chris Camozzi vs. Tom Watson
9 of 13
Division: Middleweight
Records: Chris Camozzi (21-10), Tom Watson (17-8)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Watson was interesting when he first hit the UFC. He was British, a brawler, seemingly just there for the suds and so forth. He was fun, in other words.
Problem is, he's 2-4 since, and the journey hasn't been inspiring. Remember that thing he did with Nick Catone? Good gravy, I hope you don't.
Camozzi, meanwhile, is just re-entering the UFC after a year away. He might not be here at all if he hadn't signed up to be Ronaldo Souza's cannon fodder.
He has courage for doing that. He also has a bit of a clinch game. I say he outbrawls and out-clinches Watson in an unexciting affair. Take this opportunity to grab yourself a sandwich.
Prediction: Camozzi, split decision
Jared Rosholt vs. Timothy Johnson
10 of 13
Division: Heavyweight
Records: Jared Rosholt (12-2), Timothy Johnson (9-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Rosholt, with his elite wresting background, was supposed to be a force in MMA. Instead, he has maximized his riding time and flashed a decent right hand when the situation suited. It's been even less inspiring than the previous sentence might lead one to believe.
Ergo, it may be tempting to go with Mr. Johnson, the slugging, mustachioed fun guy. But I warn you: Don't get sucked into the cult of personality. Rosholt is the stronger man here, and he'll impose his will when he grinds Johnson out along the chain link.
Prediction: Rosholt, unanimous decision
Derek Brunson vs. Sam Alvey
11 of 13
Division: Middleweight
Records: Derek Brunson (13-3), Sam Alvey (26-6)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Do I really have to pick one?
Here are two outstanding and charismatic young fighters tangling for a ticket past their division's velvet rope. At the risk of sounding like John Madden, this is what these Fight Night cards are all about.
With apologies to Paul Felder and Paddy Holohan, Alvey is the best redhead in the UFC at the moment. He can also knock the engine block out of an F150, so there are multiple advantages here.
And yet, I go with Brunson, mainly because I think he has the wrestling edge. Brunson is going to be stronger and more savvy when they have hands on each other. Outside of a puncher's chance, Smilin' Sam's prospects are looking a little frowny.
Prediction: Brunson, unanimous decision
Michael Johnson vs. Beneil Dariush
12 of 13
Division: Lightweight
Records: Beneil Dariush (11-1), Michael Johnson (16-8)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
This is the best fight on the card, right here, bar none.
Dariush has one of the most solid win streaks going in the UFC right now. Four straight wins sit in his pocket, over names like Jim Miller and Daron Cruickshank. If any lightweight can deal with him if or when the action hits the mat, Dariush has yet to meet that lightweight.
Could it be Johnson? The oddsmakers seem to think so. Johnson's speed and heavy takedowns would appear to be points of leverage. So a pick for him as the favorite makes general sense.
I'm rolling with Dariush, though. He's been consistently underrated and consistently excellent during his time in the UFC. He'll find a way to initiate and win scrambles against Johnson and get The Menace on his back, and that will lead to a stoppage and a new contender in the lightweight division.
Prediction: Dariush, submission, Round 2
Glover Teixeira vs. Ovince Saint Preux
13 of 13
Division: Light heavyweight
Records: Glover Teixeira (22-4), Ovince St. Preux (18-6)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Remember when Teixeira was a total beast? Not to alarm anyone, but he's still the same guy.
Just because Teixeira lost to the GOAT Jon Jones and then to NCAA wrestling champion Phil Davis doesn't render him a bum, as much as people may want to label him as such. The guy's a fighter through and through, be it in his heavy hands, heavy clinch game or relatively deep gas tank.
Sure, his game's a little one-dimensional, with the clinching and the uppercutting. Is Saint Preux's game a lot better? That one's based on things like Von Flue chokes and overhand rights.
The main event won't be a chess match. It may very well be a battle of attrition between two powerful men who have yet to get over the hump. Consider this the hump for Glover.
Prediction: Teixeira, unanimous decision
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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