Here are the UFC betting odds for the Glover Teixeira vs. Jared Cannonier fight at UFC 208 on Saturday at Barclays Center, for people who bet on UFC:
Jared Cannonier – 1½ (-110) +145
Glover Teixeira – 1½ (-110) -165
Cannonier is also known as The Killa Gorilla and is full of charm and appeal. Handsome, elegant, intelligent, sweet. He’s really ideal. The 32 year old is coming off back-to-back wins over Cyril Asker and Ion Cutelaba. The latter pulled an Undertaker and directed a throat-slashing gesture at Cannonier, and he paid dearly for it by getting knocked out in the third round. All things considered, Cannonier is not your typical flamboyant, styilin’-and-profilin’ UFC fighter ala Conor McGregor. He’s more in the mold of Brock Lesnar, what with his living in the isolation of the Alaskan Hinterlands, where he doesn’t “celebrate Christmas” because “Christmas is a pagan holiday. I don’t celebrate man-made holidays.” Aren’t all holidays man-made? “Every day’s a holiday when you live my life.” He certainly does live in a perennial Winter Wonderland. Cannonier is 9-1 in his MMA career, but it’s telling that he only suffered his first loss in his UFC debut. And the stakes, as well as the UFC betting odds, are only going to get higher. As a matter of fact, the fight with Texeira will be Cannonier’s biggest bout so far.
Speaking of which, Glover Texeira will be favored by people who bet on UFC on Saturday. The Brazilian brawler is coming off a loss at UFC 202 during which he underwent an involuntary dental extraction at the hands – or rather fists – of Anthony Johnson. Texeira is a one-time light heavyweight championship contender back in 2014. The 37 year old is a savvy veteran but he barely looked like one when Johnson knocked him out at 13 seconds of the first round in August 2016. In fact, it was Texeira’s first KO loss since debuting in 2002. Now, the question that many fans who bet on UFC are asking is, does Texeira still have what it takes? The Brazilian is the favorite to win, at least as far as UFC betting odds go, but how much does he really stand to win? A win over Cannonier is not likely to move Glover up the ranks or get him any closer to the main event picture – which he hasn’t been anywhere near since losing to Jon Jones at UFC 172. On the other hand, a loss would push him even father back down the line. All things considered, Texeira is not in a very different position as those of his compatriots Anderson Silva and Ronaldo Souza, both of whom are schedule to fight younger opponents in the very same UFC 208 card as himself. Whether the UFC is throwing them a softball or feeding them to young lions is anybody’s guess. In either case, we will find out when the event takes place this Saturday, February 11th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.