UFC on ESPN+ 40: Santos vs. Teixeira takes place on Saturday, November 7 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the event, and MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a look at the opening odds below.
UFC on ESPN+ 40 Odds
Thiago Santos -220
Glover Teixeira +185
Tanner Boser -260
Andrei Arlovski +220
Brendan Allen -110
Ian Heinisch -110
Claudia Gadelha -130
Yan Xiaonan +110
Giga Chikadze -485
Jamey Simmons +350
Trevin Giles -115
Bevon Lewis -105
Raoni Barcelos -325
Khalid Taha +250
Max Griffin -195
Ramiz Brahimaj +160
Darren Elkins -225
Luiz Garagorri +190
Alexander Romanov -300
Marcos Rogerio de Lima +250
Anthony Birchak -155
Gustavo Lopez +125
Here are my initial thoughts on the UFC on ESPN+ 40 Opening Odds:
- The main event is a banger between two of the top light heavyweights in the UFC as Santos takes on Teixeira. Santos is returning to the Octagon for the first time since a razor-thin split decision loss to former champ Jon Jones but before that he had won four straight fights including a TKO win over current champ Jan Blachowicz in February 2019. Santos fought Jones tooth-and-nail, but ultimately lost the fight and had to have double knee surgery. It will be interesting to see how he rebounds from the long layoff. As for Teixeira, despite being 41 now, he’s still fighting at an elite level. Teixeira is currently riding a four-fight win streak including a vicious TKO win over Anthony Smith in his last fight. I do feel like Santos should be favored, but the line should be a little closer than this, and Teixeira at dog money is intriguing.
- The co-main event is a fun fight between two mobile heavyweights in Boser and Arlovski. Boser is 3-1 in the UFC and finished his last two fights, TKO wins over Raphael Pessoa and Phillipe Lins. Of course, he gets a step up in competition now when he takes on the former UFC heavyweight champion Arlovski. Although he’s 41 now, Arlovski is still fighting at a high level and is 2-1 in his last three fights with wins over Ben Rothwell and the aforementioned Lins. Although Arlovski has done a better job of not getting knocked out in recent years, Boser hits hard and has shown increased finishing ability. I like Boser to win by TKO or by decision.
- Another awesome fight on the main card sees a pair of emerging middleweights go at is as Allen takes on Heinisch. Allen is 3-0 in the UFC including a notable submission win over Kevin Holland and is riding a seven-fight win streak overall. As for Heinisch, he’s 3-2 overall in the UFC and coming off of a big TKO win over Gerald Meerschaert. The line opened as a Pick ’em because it’s a close fight, but I still lean towards Allen due to being eight years younger here.
- The main card opener between Gadelha and Xiaonan should be good too. Gadelha has won three of her last four fights as she’s settled into the role of the gatekeeper at women’s 115lbs. As for Xiaonan, she’s a perfect 5-0 in the UFC, and dating back to 2010, she is unbeaten over her last 11 fights. This is a step up for Xiaonan, but I like her to get the win as an underdog.
