UFC 275 predictions: Will Teixeira's old-man strength carry him to 1st defense?

Ahead of Saturday's UFC 275 in Singapore, theScore's Nick Baldwin makes his picks for the top bouts.

Light heavyweight championship

Glover Teixeira (33-7)
vs.
Jiri Prochazka (28-3-1)

This sure isn't what anyone expected to see in 2022: Teixeira defending a UFC title.

But here we are. Teixeira has a chance to set back a surging contender in Prochazka and continue etching himself into the history books. However, doing so will take a gutsy effort from the 42-year-old Brazilian.

Prochazka gained the respect of MMA fans by knocking out Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir in his first two UFC appearances, skyrocketing up the light heavyweight rankings and into title contention. He's an explosive, unpredictable striker and can put Teixeira away on the feet if he lands the right shot.

On the other hand, Teixeira is a talented grappler. To beat Prochazka, he needs to weather the storm in the opening minutes and then smother him on the ground.

The big thing going for Teixeira is that he recovers from heavy shots well. In recent fights, he's often gotten rocked but quickly turned that into a window of opportunity in the grappling department. Watch his Thiago Santos win, and you'll know exactly what I mean.

The point is that Prochazka needs to put Teixeira completely out to beat him. Otherwise, he could find himself on the ground, fending off a rear-naked choke attempt before he knows it. That's ultimately what I think will happen. Using his high fight IQ, Teixeira will take advantage of Prochazka's questionable takedown defense and come through again as the underdog.

The pick: Teixeira, second-round submission

Women's flyweight championship

Valentina Shevchenko (22-3)
vs.
Taila Santos (19-1)

There's a good chance this will be the toughest fight of Shevchenko's title reign so far, but Saturday should still be a relatively easy night at the office for the champion.

Santos is 19-1 as a pro, has a well-rounded skill set, and has taken the women's flyweight division by storm since joining the UFC in 2019 (aside from a split-decision loss in her debut). She's also just entering her prime at 28 years old, and you can't say the same about every challenger who's faced Shevchenko in the last four years.

But Shevchenko is on a different level. She's probably one of the three best fighters in the world. She has elite skills in every area. And, as well as Santos has performed lately, the Brazilian has never fought someone like Shevchenko.

Both Shevchenko and Santos are counter strikers by nature, so we could be in for a slower-paced contest. It could look more like Shevchenko's win over Jennifer Maia - which went the distance - rather than her highlight-reel knockout of Jessica Eye or mauling of Jessica Andrade.

Expect Santos to have a few moments of her own in a largely stand-up battle, but it'll be clear Shevchenko is the far superior fighter at the end of 25 minutes.

The pick: Shevchenko, unanimous decision

Strawweight bout

Zhang Weili (21-3)
vs.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-4)

This is the trickiest fight to call on the card.

There are so many unknowns surrounding Jedrzejczyk because she hasn't fought since the first matchup with Zhang, which was the 2020 "Fight of the Year." Was spending 27 months away from MMA good for Jedrzejczyk? Or will she be rusty? Is she still a championship-caliber fighter? We don't and won't know until this fight happens.

For that reason, I'm leaning toward Zhang winning. (She has stayed somewhat active since the first fight, losing the strawweight title to Rose Namajunas and then coming up short in a narrow rematch.) But I suspect it'll be another very competitive decision, with only a handful of strikes being the difference-maker in several rounds.

The rematch is bound to entertain, but whether it'll live up to their instant classic from two years ago is another question. That seems doubtful because it was legitimately one of the best fights ever. Also, Jedrzejczyk promised a more tactical approach this weekend than what we saw the first time. It would be wise for Zhang to fight smarter, too.

Zhang and Jedrzejczyk are likely going the distance again, and it'll be one of those fights where there will be fans upset at the decision regardless of which way it goes.

The pick: Zhang, split decision