5 Talking Points Heading into UFC 275 in Singapore

You've got the old, you've got the new, you've got two current champions and two former ones. It's not the most electric pay-per-view card the UFC has staged this year, but it still carries intrigue for serious and casual fans alike.

At the top of the card is 42-year-old Glover Teixeira defending his light heavyweight championship against up-and-coming Jiri Prochazka. In the co-main, women's flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko looks to move one step closer to cleaning out her division when she faces Taila Santos—a competitor some have said could actually give the champ a challenge.

But there are interesting things to consider up and down the card. Here are the five talking points you need to know heading into Saturday's card in Singapore.

When he shocked Jan Blachowicz in October by second-round submission, 42-year-old Glover Teixeira became the oldest first-time champion in UFC history.

Saturday, he's the underdog again; as of Thursday, DraftKings had the champ at +170 to defend the strap against upstart Jiri Prochazka. But if he can win, he'll take a step closer to being the oldest champ in UFC history, full stop.

The current record-holder? That would be the ageless wonder Randy Couture, who at 43 years and eight months defeated Tim Sylvia to take back the heavyweight crown in 2007 at UFC 68. He was 45 years and four months old when he lost the belt to Brock Lesnar. So by that calculus, Teixeira still has a ways to go.

Can he do it? People have been counting out Teixeira his entire career, thanks to age and an uninspiring fight style. Standing across the cage from him Saturday, Prochazka is a berserker of the highest order. All the former Rizin champ has done is earn a startling 10 knockout wins in a row, including two UFC fights to date, both of which saw him net performance bonuses.

Prochazka is dangerous, but it wouldn't be the first time Teixeira has been clipped, and he's tough and opportunistic, adept at turning knockdowns into takedowns. He could stifle the Czech with work on the mat and on the fence. Will he do it? That’s an open question. But a win would move him that much further toward legendary status.

There has been talk in hardcore circles that Taila Santos, "only" a +450 underdog, has the tools to challenge Valentina Shevchenko in a way other recent opponents simply couldn't.

Count me among those who aren't buying it.

Far more than the muay thai standout of her early days, the Bullet is a fighter in full, easily able to grab takedowns and control time when the mood strikes. She never makes mistakes and always does the right thing, even if it means lapsing into periods of inactivity as she waits on the counter. Santos is a well-rounded fighter with a dangerous striking base, but in all reality, she should be no match for the champ.

The real question comes after the fight, when Shevchenko could announce a move from flyweight back up to the 135-pound bantamweight division. Waiting there would be the winner of the July title fight between new champ Julianna Pena and deposed longtime champ Amanda Nunes. Nunes is Shevchenko's white whale following two close and controversial decisions that resulted in losses to Nunes in 2016 and again in 2017.

Shevchenko is keenly aware of her legacy and has made no secret of wanting a third bout with Nunes. Pena would be an interesting matchup for Shevchenko in her own right should she win the rematch with Nunes in July, but Shevchenko-Nunes is probably the biggest women’s fight the UFC can make. Shevchenko should feel free to chase it Saturday, as a win would mean she's properly cleaned out the division.

It was hailed as the best women's MMA fight ever: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Zhang Weili. Who could forget UFC 248 in 2020, that back-and-forth war, that razor-thin decision for Weili or that grotesque and massive hematoma on the side of Jedrzejczyk's head?

It's been two years since Jedrzejczyk, who remains far and away the longest-tenured champ in division history, stepped into the cage for that Fight of the Night. Ring rust is real; it's just a matter of whether or to what extent it will affect the ex-champ.

Meanwhile, Weili still poses a distinct threat because of her physicality—especially in the clinch—and heavy hands. Jedrzejczyk will look to find range and tee off with her sharp, dynamic volume striking. The winner has already been slotted in as the next title challenger. Lots of stakes in this one, and it has all the makings of another all-timer.

UFC head honcho Dana White is open about his desire to conquer the MMA market in Southeast Asia.

"I think that we're going to have to dive deeper into Asia and start doing some more building over there," White said, according to AFP.

As part of the run-up to UFC 275, the company created "Road to UFC," a tournament-based competition show in the mold of The Ultimate Fighter but geared toward Asian athletes and markets.

No wonder the UFC wants to get a stronger foothold in the region, particularly in China. It's obviously a massive population center, but on top of that, the country has deep roots in martial arts. It's been hypothesized that China's martial arts tastes skew more toward artistry and sportsmanship than blood, but even if true, it's not stopping the UFC from trying—or from making inroads.

It's hosted six cards in China to date; this will be the fifth in Singapore. It's signed a broadcasting deal with China's Migu network and opened the UFC Performance Institute Shanghai, a 93,000-square-foot facility designed to incubate a new generation of Chinese fighters.

According to pundits, the efforts have paid off. MMA was ignored in China up until just a few years ago, with fighters like Weili helping raise awareness.

To date, however, it hasn't translated to big success on the biggest stage or runaway popularity in the world's most populous country.

Weili is easily the biggest star to emerge from China, with other names like Li Jingliang and Yan Xiaonan earning honorable mentions but so far unable to reach elite status. Chinese strawweight Liang Na and lightweight Hayisaer Maheshate appear on Saturday's undercard, but both are entirely undistinguished to this point.

UFC brass may be pulling for a Weili victory at UFC 275. But it remains to be seen when or whether its seeds in the country will bear fruit for main cards.

There's not a whole lot of star power at this event; let's call that out for what it is. Nevertheless, there's a name to look for toward the bottom of the main card: Angolan bone crusher Manel Kape.

Kape is fairly new to the UFC, with an unremarkable 2-2 record under the banner. But look closer and there are reasons to watch him closely. He has remarkable power for a flyweight; in his last seven contests, five were victories, and all of them were knockouts. Even though he's still fresh on the UFC scene, he's been around and is no stranger to Asian MMA fans, making a name for himself in Rizin MMA and other promotions.

He put himself on the UFC map last year with a flying-knee knockout of Ode' Osbourne. But to fans of international MMA—not to mention Kape himself—it was an all-too-expected outcome.

Kape is a -220 favorite to handle Rogerio Bontorin in what could prove to be a showcase matchup. If Kape secures another victory in electric fashion, he could be an exciting new name in a division not currently known for its depth.

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