Bellator 244 takes place on Friday, August 21 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the main card, and here they are.
Opening Odds For Bellator 244
Ryan Bader -180
Vadim Nemkov +155
Valentin Moldavsky -1000
Roy Nelson +700
Julia Budd -530
Jessy Miele +350
John Salter -215
Andrew Kapel +165
Here are my initial thoughts on the Opening Odds For Bellator 244:
- The main event of Bellator 244 should be an excellent title fight at 205lbs between the champion Bader (27-5, 1 NC) and challenger Nemkov (12-2). Bader is a two-division champion in Bellator and is riding an eight-fight unbeaten streak including wins at both heavyweight and light heavyweight. He has been a force to be reckoned with since leaving the UFC three years ago. As for Nemkov, he is riding a six-fight wins streak and has finished most of his opponents in Bellator. I’m very high on Nemkov and believe he could potentially pull off the upset and win this fight. Having said that, my lean is to Bader once again. The guy seems unstoppable these days in Bellator and I don’t think you can bet against him right now.
- In a heavyweight mismatch, Moldavsky (9-1) takes on Nelson (23-18). Moldavsky is riding a four-fight win streak and looks like a potential title contender in the Bellator heavyweight division. As for Nelson, he has lost his last four fights and doesn’t appear to have much gas left in the tank at age 44. Sure, Nelson could land a haymaker, but it’s very unlikely. Moldavsky probably just wrestles Nelson and wins a clear decision here, and the odds reflect that.
- In a women’s featherweight bout, the former champ Budd (13-3) takes on Miele (9-3). Budd lost her belt to Cris Cyborg her last time out, but the former champ had been riding an 11-fight win streak prior to that fight and she had been dominating pretty much everyone in her path. Budd is not young at age 37 but she keeps herself in tremendous physical condition and I believe she will remain a top fighter in Bellator for a few more years. Here, she gets a step down when she takes on Miele in her second fight in Bellator. In her promotional debut, she defeated Talita Nogueira and before that had beaten former UFC fighter Elizabeth Phillips. Miele is actually kind of underappreciated at women’s 145lbs but this is a terrible matchup for her against an absolute talent in Budd. I just can’t see Miele being able to deal with Budd’s physicality, and I expect Budd to win this fight by stoppage.
- Finally, we have a fun middleweight bout between two underrated fighters in Salter (17-4) and Kapel (15-6). Salter has won nine of his last 10 fights with his only loss in that stretch coming against former champ Rafael Lovato Jr. Salter is a real gem at 185lbs for Bellator and should be considered for a title shot with a win. As fo Kapel, he looked incredible in his promotional debut when he knocked out King Mo, and overall he is riding a five-fight win streak. I favor Salter but I do think that Kapel is a live dog here.
