UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Teixeira Predictions, Odds & Picks

• Light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos returns to the octagon after more than a year layoff following his razor-thin loss to Jon Jones and recovery from injury to main event against Glover Teixeira
• Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski is in the co-main event slot as he faces Tanner Boser Saturday night
• The main card kicks off with a women’s strawweight bout between Claudia Gadelha and Yan Xiaonan that could have title implications should one of the fighters make a statement

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UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Teixeira – Picks & Predictions

Thiago Santos vs Glover Teixeira – Light Heavyweight Division

 Glover Teixeira (+190)

Andrei Arlovski vs Tanner Boser – Heavyweight Division

 Tanner Boser (-305)

Ian Heinisch vs Brendan Allen – Middleweight Division

 Brendan Allen (-112)

Raoni Barcelos vs Khalid Taha – Bantamweight Division

 Raoni Barcelos (-400)

Claudia Gadelha vs Yan Xiaonan – Women’s strawweight Division

 Yan Xiaonan (-143)

How to Watch UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Teixeira

Thiago Santos vs Glover Teixeira – Light Heavyweight Division

Thiago “Marreta” Santos (21-7)

Thiago Santos was the first man to beat Jon Jones – at least according to one of the UFC judges. In his last fight, Thiago Santos dropped a split-decision loss to Jon Jones in their light heavyweight title scrap. During the fight, Santos injured both knees and has been out of action recovering from surgery ever since. This Saturday night marks his much-anticipated return to the octagon.

Prior to the Jones fight, Santos was riding a four-fight winning streak, including three light heavyweight fights that all ended by KO or TKO (including a win over the current light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz).

Standing at 6 ft. 2 in. tall, the former middleweight fighter has a reach of 76 inches. Born in Brazil, the 36-year-old has been fighting since 2010. He trains with the American Top Team gym and holds a green rope in capoeira, a black prajied in muay thai, and a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is still ranked as the number-one contender in the UFc light heavyweight division.

Glover Teixeira (31-7)

A UFC mainstay since 2012, Glover Teixeira has notable wins over fighters such as Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, and Jared Cannonier. He is also a former light heavyweight title challenger who came up short against Jon Jones. Enjoying a career resurgence as of late, Teixeira is riding a four-fight winning streak with his most recent win coming in the form of a TKO over former title contender Anthony Smith this past May which earned him a performance of the night bonus.

Also born in Brazil, Teixeira is five-years older than Santos but will stand at the same height and will have the same reach as his opponent. Fighting since 2002, Teixeira trains at Teixeira MMA and Fitness with coaches Fernely Feliz Sr., John Hackleman, and Steve Mocco. He holds a fifth-degree black belt in kajukenbo under Hackleman as well as a second-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Luigi Mondelli. He also has a black belt in Luta Livre. He is the UFC’s number-three ranked light heavyweight.

Andrei Arlovski vs Tanner Boser – Heavyweight Division

Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski (29-19, 2 no-contests)

Andrei Arlovski’s first stint in the UFC lasted from 2000-2008 and included a run as the UFC heavyweight champion. He rejoined the organization in 2014, where he has remained with mixed success (including a five-fight losing streak) ever since. Arlovski has gone 50/50 across his last five fights, winning two, losing two, and having one no-contest thrown in for good measure. His most recent fight came this past May where he defeated Philipe Lins via unanimous decision.

Standing at 6 ft. 4 in. tall, the Belarussian fighter is now 41-years-old and has been fighting professionally since 1999. He has a reach of 77 inches. The former champion now trains with American Top Team and boasts an international master of sport in sambo as well as a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He has the most wins (18) and most fights (31) in the history of the UFC heavyweight division.

Tanner “The Bulldozer” Boser (19-6-1)

Tanner Boser was just 14-years-old when Arlovski won the UFC heavyweight title. Now 29, Boser will be making his fifth Octagon appearance, where he has gone 3-1. After a loss to Cyril Gane last December, Boser has rebounded by winning his last two fights in a row. He knocked out Philipe Lins this past June and only a month later earned a TKO victory over Raphael Pessoa. The latter win earned him a performance of the night bonus.

Boser stands at 6 ft. 2 in., two-inches shorter than Arlovski, and has a 75 inches reach – two inches shorter than Arlovski again. Born in Canada and fighting out of Alberta, Boser trains with Frank Lee’s Muay Thai and Kickboxing under coach Jeff Montemurro. He holds a black belt in shito-ryu karate and a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He has been fighting since 2012.

Ian Heinisch vs Brendan Allen – Middleweight Division

Ian Heinisch (14-3)

Ian Heinisch made his name known with a knockout victory over Justin Sumter in 2018 on the Dana White Contender Series. He joined the promotion and won his first two fights in a row – both by unanimous decision. He would drop his next two straight, both by unanimous decision as well. He most recently fought Gerald Meerschaert this past June at UFC 250. Heinisch won via TKO in the first round.

The Colorado native is 32-years-old and has been fighting professionally since 2015. He stands at 5 ft. 11 in. tall and has a reach of 72 inches. He currently trains out of Phuket, Thailand with Tiger Muay Thai. He is a former LFA middleweight champion and currently rounds out the middleweight rankings in the UFC at number-15.

Brendan “All In” Allen (15-3)

Brendan Allen also made his debut on the DW Contender Series, submitting Aaron Jeffrey in 2019. Since then he has had three fights in the UFC and has won them all – including a submission over Kevin Holland, a TKO over Tom Breese, an, most recently, a unanimous decision victory over Kyle Daukaus this past June.

At just 24-years-old, Allen has been fighting since 2015. He stands 6 ft. 2 in. tall, giving him a three-inch advantage in height over Heinisch. He will also have a three-inch advantage in reach. Allen trains in Wisconsin with Roufusport gym and holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Daniel Wanderley. Like his opponent, he is also a former LFA middleweight champion.

Raoni Barcelos vs Khalid Taha – Bantamweight Division

Raoni Barcelos (15-1)

Raoni Barcelos is a fighter who has won all of his UFC bouts since joining the promotion in 2018. He has won four straight – all in different styles with one KO, one TKO, one submission, and one decision. His most recent fight came last December where he defeated Said Nurmagomedovs (Khabib’s cousin) via unanimous decision. His first fight in the UFC against Kurt Holobaugh earned him a fight of the night bonus.

Barcelos is a 33-year-old Brazilian fighter who stands 5 ft. 7 in. tall and possesses a reach of 67 inches. He trains out of Brazil with the Laerte Barcelos Team and holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Laerte Barcelos. He has been fighting professionally since 2012 and he is a former three-time RFA featherweight champion.

Khalid “The Warrior” Taha (13-2, 1 no-contest)

Khalid Taha is still a relative newcomer to the UFC, having just three bouts under his belt – all of which ended in a different fashion. Taha debuted in the UFC in 2018 and was on the losing side of a unanimous decision. In his next fight, he earned his first UFC win with a TKO victory over Boston Salmon. His last fight was last October at UFC 243. Taha missed weight but earned a submission victory over Bruno Gustavo de Silva. However, the fight was later overturned to a no-contest after Taha tested positive for furosemide. This is his first fight since serving his suspension.

Born in Germany, Taha is 28-years-old and will stand equal to his opponent Saturday night at 5 ft. 7 in. He will have a two-inch reach advantage. Fighting since 2013, Taha trains out of his home country with the Arena Dortmund team. He is currently unranked in the bantamweight division.

Claudia Gadelha vs Yan Xiaonan – Women’s Strawweight Division

Claudia Gadelha (18-4)

A former strawweight title challenger, Claudia Gadelha has had mixed success in the UFC since joining the promotion as an undefeated fighter in 2014. Lately, she has seemed to have found her stride, however, and heads into Saturday night riding a two-fight winning streak. Last July, at UFC 239, Gadelha earned a unanimous decision victory over Randa Markos. She followed that performance, most recently, by earning another decision win (albeit a split) over Angela Hill this past May.

The 31-year-old Brazilian fighter stands at 5 ft. 4 in. tall and has a reach of 63.5 inches. A former product of the Jackson-Wink MMA Academy, Gadelha now trains out of Las Vegas with Nick Catone MMA. She holds a second-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Andre Pederneiras and Jair Lourenco. She has been fighting professionally since 2008 and is currently ranked as the division’s fourth-best strawweight.

Yan “Fury” Xiaonan (12-1, 1 no-contest)

Yan Xiaonan joined the UFC promotion in 2017 and has been flawless ever since, winning five straight fights – all by unanimous decision. Her last two fights were the biggest of her career as she defeated Angela Hill at UFC 238 last summer and, most recently, defeated former title challenger Karolin Kowalkiewicz earlier this year in February.

Born in China, the 31-year-old stands one inch taller than her opponent Saturday night but will be at a half-inch reach disadvantage. A former atomweight fighter, Xiaonan has been fighting since 2009. She trains out of her home country with China Top Team under coaches Zhao Xuejun and Ruy Menezes. She is ranked as the eighth-best strawweight in the division.