Bellator 212 takes place Friday, December 14 at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the odds for the card, and here they are.
Bellator 212 Opening Odds
Brent Primus -400
Michael Chandler +280
Frank Mir -160
Javy Ayala +120
AJ McKee -750
Daniel Crawford +450
Derek Campos -305
Sam Sicilia +225
Juliana Velasquez -265
Alejandra Lara +185
And my initial reactions on the odds are as follows:
– Don’t get too excited about the opening odds for Chandler vs. Primus. It looks like it was a misclick as the odds flipped immediately aftrer openining, and Chandler currently sits around -500 or more at the books. That doesn’t surprise me as Chandler has always received plenty of support from bettors, but I feel like Primus is getting no respect here. We can’t forget he’s still undefeated in his career and he beat Chandler last year to win the lightweight belt. Yes, Chandler was injured in that fight, but Primus still won, and people are acting like Chandler is still the champ. He isn’t. I agree Chandler should be favored, but I just feel like the current odds, where Primus is a +400 or more dog, offers some value on Primus. I am not completely counting him out of this fight, and it’s a dog-or-pass situation in my opinion.
– I have similar thoughts on the co-main event between Mir and Ayala. Mir opened as the favorite, which I agree with, but the line has flipped and Mir is now a small underdog. At dog money, I think there’s some value on Mir. Yes, his chin is shaky and he barely fights anymore. But he’s still a very big man who has a ton of experience, not to mention knockout power and submission prowess. Ayala has some knockout power himself, but he doesn’t have nearly the amount of experience Mir has and it’s not like he has an iron chin himself. It’s a heavyweight fight between two glass cannons, but I think there’s some value on Mir as a dog.
– The McKee vs. Crawford fight is a total blowout and it makes you wonder why Bellator booked it. McKee is by far the best featherweight prospect on Bellator’s roster and is undefeated in his career and en route to setting all sorts of Bellator records. If he fights guys like Crawford he’ll get there soon. The fact Crawford lost his last fight is all you need to know. McKee will win this fight quickly via stoppage.
– In the last two bouts, I’d have to favor both Campos and Velasquez just as the odds suggest. Campos and Sicilia have both been very inconsistent in Bellator but Campos is the better wrestler and has just as much if not more knockout power than Sicilia. I think he takes Sicilia down and beats him up on the ground. Velasquez is an undefeated prospect but she’s 32 and in her prime so Bellator is giving her a step up here against a former title contender in Lara. If Velasquez wins like Bellator expects her to, she could be next in line for a title shot.
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