- Jamahal Hill is the -150 favorite to beat Glover Teixeira (+130) at UFC 283 on January 21, 2023, in Brazil.
- UFC President Dana White announced last Saturday that Hill and Teixeira will fight for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title next month.
- Teixeira was supposed to fight Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282 before he was replaced by Jan Blachowicz.
Jamahal Hill has opened as the slight betting favorite over Glover Teixeira in their UFC 283 bout.
Hill hit the betting boards at -160 odds with Texeira coming back at +140 odds at the online sportsbook BetOnline.
Those odds have narrowed since opening on Sunday morning. As of early Monday, Hill is listed at -150 at the same sportsbook with Teixeira improving to +130 odds.
Dana White Announces Title Fight at UFC 282 Post-Event Press Conference
Dana White announced at the #UFC282 post-fight press conference that Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill will fight for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 283 in Rio. pic.twitter.com/8n9SJUg5am
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 11, 2022
Teixeira and Hill have been booked to fight for the still vacant UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 283 on January 21, 2023 in Brazil. The belt remained vacant after last Saturday’s UFC 282 main event between former champion Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev ended in a split draw. The two fought for the title after Jiri Prochazka vacated the title following a serious shoulder injury.
Prochazka was supposed to fight Teixeira in the UFC 282 main event but after he begged off, the UFC replaced him with Anakalaev. Teixeira declined to fight Ankalaev, claiming he trained for a different style in Prochazka. The immediate former champion requested the UFC to book him against Ankalaev at UFC 283 instead but the UFC declined and gave Teixeira’s UFC 282 spot to Blachowicz.
But with the title still unclaimed after last Saturday’s split draw, the UFC is doing the right thing in giving Teixeira the next title shot. The Brazilian looked on his way to retaining the 205-pound belt at UFC 275 when Prochazka locked in a rear-naked choke that ended the fight with 28 seconds left. Teixeira was up by at least one point in two scorecards while the third judge had it a 38-38 draw entering the final round, meaning had he not been submitted, he would still be champion today.
Jamahal Hill Opens as Favorite Versus Teixeira
Jamahal Hill opens as the favourite in a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship fight with Glover Teixeira:
Jamahal Hill -160 (5/8)
Glover Teixeira +140 (5/7)(odds via @betonline_ag) 🏆 #UFC283 pic.twitter.com/nkOZNAmZhl
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) December 11, 2022
Teixeira isn’t new to opening at plus-money odds. In fact, this is the 5th consecutive bout where he’s opened with the plus money sign written next to his name. The Brazilian opened at +135 against Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 171, +185 versus Thiago Santos at UFC Vegas 13, +165 when he challenged Blachowicz for the belt at UFC 267, and +108 in his last bout against Prochazka. If not for Prochazka’s last-minute submission, Teixeira would easily be 4-0 SU in his last four bouts.
Hill meanwhile, has won three fights in a row and has been the betting favorite in the last two of those bouts. The former KOP light heavyweight champion opened at -240 odds versus Johnny Walker at UFC Fight Night 201 and -250 against Thiago Santos at UFC Vegas 59 in his most recent bout. Hill is an impressive 5-1-1 since joining the UFC with his only setback being a TKO loss to Paul Craig at UFC 263 in a bout where he was a massive -300 betting favorite.
The loss to Craig stands as the only blemish in Hill’s MMA career as the 31-year-old from Chicago, Illinois has a record of 11-1 with 7 knockouts. Meanwhile, Teixeira has a record of 33-8 with 18 knockouts and 11 submission victories in a career that began in 2002 or when Jamahal Hill was only 11 years old.
