UFC Fight Night 134 Odds Preview

The UFC heads to Hamburg, Germany, for a semi-unusual Sunday UFC Fight Night Card headlined by a scheduled five-round non-title fight between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua against Anthony Smith. Here’s a look at the card’s top fights and their Mybookie Sportsbook odds. The main card starts at 2 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 with Shogun vs Smith as the grand finale.

UFC Fight Night 134 Odds Preview

ONE and DONE for @LionheartSmith 🦁

Smith looks to tally his second KO in JUST a six week span at #UFCHamburg. pic.twitter.com/Z0EG0Ei2Za — UFC (@ufc) 19 de julio de 2018

• When: July 22, 2018
• Where: Hamburg, Germany
• Venue: Barclaycard Arena

Mauricio Rua (25-10) vs. Anthony Smith (29-13)

• UFC Fight Night 134 Odds: Rua +175 / Smith -210

“Shogun” Rua, from Brazil, is the No. 8 ranked fighter in the division and Smith, an American, is unranked. Smith is the -225 favorite. Rua is probably happy to simply know his opponent. The former UFC light heavyweight champion was to fight contender Volkan Oezdemir in this bout, but the UFC opted to move Volkan to UFC 227 against Alexander Gustafsson. Breaking up a headlining fight on just three weeks’ notice is a bit strange. Rua’s first scheduled fight against Volkan, set for UFC Fight Night 129 in May, was moved due to Oezdemir’s legal/visa issues. “Shogun,” meanwhile, was also supposed to have a rematch vs. Ovince Saint Preux at UFC Fight Night 117 in September but was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury that required surgery. The 36-year-old Rua, who had a brief UFC title reign from 2010-2011, has now been out of action since March 2017. He has resurrected his career with a three-fight winning streak that includes victories over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Corey Anderson, and Gian Villante. Smith has fought the majority of his career as a 185-pound middleweight and he used to idolize Rua. “Since I moved up to 205, the weight is no longer an issue, and the name literally doesn’t matter,” Smith said. “You could have said it’s Brock Lesnar, and I would have had the same reaction.” Smith is coming off an impressive win over another former UFC light heavyweight champ in Rashad Evans in June. An experienced fighter for just 29, Smith wields a well-rounded skill set. Despite his long reach and frame, Smith does a deceptively good job at changing his ranges on strikes mid-stroke or combination. Smith has also shown an improved jab in recent outings. The fight carries additional intrigue for the winner as recently minted dual champ Daniel Cormier is considering Rua as his next opponent, possibly favoring Rua over Gustafsson. If Smith wins, he likely won’t get a title shot right away but it should earn him the matchups that will make such an opportunity undeniable.

Glover Teixeira (27-6) vs. Corey Anderson (10-4)

• UFC Fight Night 134 Odds: Teixeira -165 / Anderson +140

The Brazilian Teixeira is ranked third in the division and the American Anderson ninth. An argument can be made this should be the headliner. Teixeira is a -165 Mybookie Sportsbook favorite. Teixeira’s chances of appearing on this card almost went up in smoke a few weeks ago when his scheduled opponent Ilir Latifi pulled out due to injury. However, the former light heavyweight title challenger’s spot in the co-main event was saved when former TUF winner Corey Anderson took the fight on short notice. A perennial contender at 205 pounds, Teixeira has been trying to earn his way back to a title shot for some time now. Teixeira last fought in December, beating Misha Cirkunov by first round TKO. Anderson ended a two-fight losing streak last time out, beating Patrick Cummins in April by decision. Anderson also has fought “Shogun”, losing to Rua by split decision at UFC 198. “Overtime” is 7-4 during his promotional tenure and 10-4 as a professional overall. Anderson’s striking volume has won him many rounds in the octagon, his transition game glues everything together. A more traditional stalker, Teixeira will steadily come forward as he, too, looks to bring pressure.

Marcin Tybura (16-4) vs. Stefan Struve (32-10)

• UFC Fight Night 134 Odds: Tybura -250 / Struve +200

Tybura, from Poland, is ranked No. 9 at heavyweight and Struve is No. 13. Tybura is the -250 favorite at Mybookie.ag. Both are coming off back-to-back losses. In his last outing, Tybura was stopped in the third round by Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night 126. In the bout prior, he fell to Fabricio Werdum via unanimous decision. Tybura cut his teeth in the M-1 Global promotion, winning and defending their heavyweight crown. Although his UFC results have been mixed, “Tybur” has nonetheless proved himself a top 10 fighter due to the high-level of competition faced. The Pole has finished 13 of his victories. Struve lost to former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision at UFC 222. Before that, he was finished by Alexander Volkov via third-round TKO. On the bright side, the defeats came to a fairly high-level of competition, Struve was competitive and his lights were never completely put out. Struve has a huge reach which he uses less for his striking but more to wrap up submissions. He has finished 17 wins by submission. Tybura is no slouch on the ground and won’t be put off by the assets of the towering Struve.

Expert UFC Fight Night 134 Betting Predictions

Take Rua for the minor upset – not sure it really is – but the favorites in the other two bouts.