One of the most important bouts at World Series of Fighting 10 is a five-round title fight between WSOF featherweight champion Georgi “Insane” Karakhanyan and Rick “The Gladiator” Glenn. The current betting line for the fight at Several Bookmakers lists Karakhanyan as a -420 favorite (bet $420 to win $100) while Glenn is a +335 underdog (bet $100 to win $335). MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas originally opened up Karakhanyan at -315 and Glenn at +235, meaning the betting public is siding with the champ in this one. I agree with the betting public siding with Karakhanyan here as I’m also picking him to win this fight. Here’s why. Karakhanyan (23-3-1) is currently riding a nine-fight win streak which includes victories over the likes of Lance Palmer, Waylon Lowe, Din Thomas, and Micah Miller, and he also holds other notable career wins over Anthony Leone and Bao Quach. After going 2-2 in Bellator with losses to Joe Warren and Patricio Pitbull, the 29-year-old Armenian has been on a roll and right now looks like he’s hitting his prime. He is extremely well rounded with excellent striking as well as a diverse submission game, and he also has underrated wrestling. In short, he’s a true mixed martial artist and that makes him on the most dangerous outs at 145lbs in the game. This weekend he puts his belt on the line against Glenn in what should be a fun fight, but also one that Karakhanyan should win and that’s why he is favored heading into the title bout. Glenn (14-2-1) is the top featherweight prospect in World Series of Fighting and earned this title fight after victories in WSOF over Artur Rofi and Alexandre Pimentel. Overall the 25-year-old American is unbeaten over his last 12 bouts which includes a win over UFC fighter Johnny Case as well as a draw with former UFC fighter Ryan Roberts. He trains out of Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wis., and like his teacher and mentor Duke Roufus, he has wicked striking that has seen him capture seven victories via T/KO. He also has an underrated ground game, and he has five wins by submission. However in general, his ground game isn’t great and going up against a slick submission fighter like Karakhanyan could hurt him here. Although Glenn has the power to end any fight on the feet, until he proves himself at the highest level, it’s tough to pick up against a stud like Karakhanyan, and that’s why he enters this fight as a big underdog. I think Glenn is a very solid prospect but Karakhanyan might be the most underrated featherweight in mixed martial arts, and I see him winning this bout inside the five rounds with either a submission or a knockout to retain the WSOF featherweight title. The line on Karakhanyan is -420 which is high but I can’t blame anyone for putting him into a parlay as this really does seem like his fight to lose. If the line continues to go up I would recommend passing but anything at 4-to-1 or lower could be a nice parlay piece. As for the total, I lean towards UNDER 3.5 rounds at +110 as I certainly see a finish in this fight either way.
