Bellator 220 takes place April 27 at SAP Center in San Jose, California. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the full card, and here they are.
Bellator 220 Opening Odds
Rory MacDonald -305
Jon Fitch +225
Ilima-Mei Macfarlane -675
Veta Arteaga +425
Benson Henderson -405
Adam Piccolotti +285
Phil Davis -305
Liam McGeary +225
Gaston Bolanos -530
Nathan Stolen +350
And here are my initial thoughts on the Bellator 220 Opening Odds:
- Starting from the top, the main event between MacDonald and Fitch is a fight that “Red King” should win handily, and the odds reflect that. Though he is coming off of a brutal TKO loss to Gegard Mousasi, you have to remember MacDonald moved up in weight for that fight. At welterweight, he’s still one of the best in the world and he showed that with his wins over Douglas Lima and Paul Daley. Fitch has won five straight fights and beat Daley in his Bellator debut, but he lacks the KO power that would make him a true threat against MacDonald. Fitch will try to wrestle MacDonald and be unsuccessful doing so, and MacDonald likely gets a late stoppage since this is a five-round fight.
- Much of the same can be said of the co-main event between Macfarlane and Arteaga. This is by all means another mismatch, and the line reflects it. Macfarlane is Bellator’s undefeated flyweight champion and has finished nearly all of the opponents put in front of her. She is one of Bellator’s biggest stars right now and it’s hard to see her losing to anyone on its roster. Arteaga is not that fighter. Although she does have a winning record in Bellator, she hasn’t really beaten anyone or shown in her previous bouts that she has what it takes to beat someone of Macfarlane’s caliber. Look for the champion to defend her title by stoppage once again.
- The Henderson vs. Piccolotti fight looks like the one fight with upset potential on this card. Although Piccolotti was never considered a top prospect, he has really come on strong as of late and could be catching Henderson at a good time in his career. Although “Smooth” is on a nice little two-fight win streak at the moment, overall he has looked really poor in Bellator and very beatable. Henderson might win this fight, but at these odds I would rather take a shot at the upside and take the dog Piccolotti.
- The Davis vs. McGeary fight is a rematch of the pair’s first bout in 2016 which Davis won via decision. Although Davis has been disappointing in Bellator, McGeary is someone who he should beat with his wrestling base alone. I think Davis grinds out the win here, and while the line is high, it makes sense.
- And finally, the Bolanos vs. Stolen fight is a complete mismatch. Bellator loves Bolanos and for good reason as the youngster has been knocking out everyone in his path. Stolen is coming off of three straight losses and I don’t see him snapping that streak here. I would be very surprised if Bolanos lost this fight, and I expect him to win by stoppage once again.
