The UFC will be back in action this Wednesday on ESPN+ as the promotion hosts their second of three events from Jacksonville, Florida. The special midweek card is headlined by a pair of former title contenders as Anthony Smith and Glover Teixiera square off at light heavyweight in an attempt to inch closer to title contention. The card was originally scheduled for Smith’s hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, but now will be the second of three fights from Jacksonville’s VyStar Veterans Arena due to COVID-19. Tonights main fight card starts at 9PM, with the prelims starting at 6.
This fight card does not have many notable names to casual fans of the sport, however Dana White and the UFC brass has done a good job of bringing intriguing match-ups for all three of the cards that will be taking place in Jacksonville. Here are some intriguing fights to look forward to for UFC on ESPN+ 29
Main Event: #4 Anthony Smith (32-14) vs. #8 Glover Teixiera (30-7)
UFC on ESPN+ 29 brings an interesting main event as a pair of former title challengers are set to be the last to walk out to the octagon. For Smith, the 31 year old is starting to become the UFC’s Randy Orton, a young rising star who is known for retiring some of the sports most notable names. After defeating the likes of Shogun Rua, Rashad Evans, Alexander Gustaffson, oh yeah and a home invasion at his Nebraska home, Lionheart looks to add another name to the list as he faces off against the 40 year-old Teixiera. For Smith, he is in the process of climbing the ladder again after losing his chance of gold with losing to Jon Jones via unanimous decision back at UFC 239 in March of 2019.
As for Teixera, another title fight is probably out of the picture due to the rising young stars ahead of him at 205, but if he can beat Smith in impressive fashion than the UFC might have to reconsider. He brings a top tier ground game, being a second degree black belt in jiu-jitsu with an extensive submission grappling background.
In the end, I think Smith’s versatility (17 career KO/12 career submissions) will present Teixiera with some match-up problems. I look for Lionheart to reassure himself as one of the best 205 guys around.
PREDICTION: SMITH
Co-Main Event: Ovince Saint Preux (24-13) vs. Ben Rothwell (37-12)
Former UFC lightweight title contender, and Tennessee Volunteer Ovince Saint Preux looks to put the heavyweight division on notice as he moves up in weight to meet Ben Rothwell in the co-main event. Saint Preux, who is 3-2 in his last 5 looks to heat up in his new weight class as a win against veteran Ben Rothwell can help him climb a lock jammed heavyweight class as we await DC vs. Stipe III. Saint Preux is similar to Smith with his ability to get the finish from either strikes of submissions (11 KO/8 sub). Saint Preux most notably has 3 finishes via Von Fluke choke, which is more than the man who made it popular Jason Von Fluke who has 2. OSP is a threat on the ground however it will be hard to even take a mountain of a man like Rothwell down, let alone keep him there.
As for Rothwell, he snapped his 3 fight losing streak with a KO win over Stephan Struve back at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Rosenstruik. The finish came after numerous low blows by Struve, and many were calling for a DQ before the finish. Rothwell comes into the fight 25 pounds heavier than OSP, but OSP does have the reac advantage, so expect for Saint Preux to try to beat him with his quickness and remain on the outside and look to outpoint Big Ben.
PREDICTION: OSP via Decision
Lightweight bout: #15 Alexander Hernandez (11-2) vs. Drew Dober (22-9)
The UFC’s arguably most stacked division gets another great fight as Alexander ‘The Great’ Hernandez meets Drew Dober Wednesday night. Alexander Hernandez is 1-1 in his last two. A win most previously over then 41 year old Francisco Trinaldo, then a loss to Cowboy Cerrone which was Cerrone’s last win before his current four fight losing streak.
As for Dober, he successfully halted the hype train of Nasrat Haqparast handing him his first loss under the UFC banner in a performance of the night performance back on January 18th. Dober looks to build off that impressive win, and also make Team Elevation 2-0 on the week as his teammate Justin Gaethje was victorious this past Saturday. With a Dober win, he might be able to propel himself closer to top 15 contention while the young Hernandez looks to flash his potential with the world watching.
I’m expecting fireworks for this fight after an intense face off on Tuesday, and the stakes are high for both fighters I expect these guys to look to keep it standing, and turn this to a striking match. Don’t let the rankings of these two fighters fool you, I expect this fight to compete for fight of the night honors.
My mind says to go with Hernandez, however Dober and team have a ton of positive momentum on their side, and for that reason I am going with Dober. It can easily go either way, but we’ll have to wait and see.
PREDICITON: DOBER
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