Bellator 221 takes place Saturday, May 11 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the full card, and here they are.
Bellator 221 Opening Odds
Michael Chandler -265
Patricio Freire +185
Douglas Lima -335
Michael Page +245
AJ McKee -300
Pat Curran +220
Jake Hager -600
TJ Jones +400
And here are my initial thoughts on the Bellator 221 Opening Odds:
- Although everyone seems to be fading Chandler in the main event, I think Pitbull has a really good chance to win this fight. Even though Pitbull is moving up in weight, I still think he has what it takes to beat Chandler in this battle to determine arguably the greatest Bellator talent of all time. It’s true that Chandler is riding a three-fight win streak and has won seven of his last eight fights, often-times dominating his opposition, but we can’t forget the three-fight losing skid he suffered before that. If you look closely at his record, he has actually fought a lower level of competition as of late, so even though he’s looked good we can’t ignore the fact he wasn’t looking too hot before that. Pitbull has won three straight fights himself and could be on a five-fight win streak if not for a freak injury loss to Benson Henderson. His bite has always outmatched his bark and he is still a stud at 155lbs. Both guys are amazing fighters, but I feel like this fight is a closer than the odds indicate. Even though he’s moving up in weight, I would still feel better taking a shot on Pitbull as the dog than laying the juice on Chandler in this spot.
- I kind of feel the same way about the co-main event between Page and Lima. After Page’s last fight against Daley, trust me, I was one of those people saying we need to fade Page. But now that he’s available at huge plus money, I think there actually might be some value on him. I love Lima and think he’s one of the best welterweights in the world, but he’s beatable. Page hasn’t lost before and has shown that he’s a very well-rounded fighter who does what it takes to win. I honestly feel like this line should be a lot closer, and Page as a dog — something we never see — looks like a potentially solid bet.
- In featherweight action, it’s hard not to like McKee over Curran. There’s no doubt Curran is a huge step up in competition for McKee, but there’s no way you could take Curran in this fight over the undefeated McKee, who is the younger and fresher fighter. You have to go with McKee to win this fight, and he deserves to be a big favorite to do so.
- The same goes for the heavyweight fight between Hager and Jones. Bellator clearly hand-picked this as a mismatch to get Hager another win, and they should succeed in their matchmaking goal. Hager’s wrestling alone should be enough for him to win this fight, and he might actually be able to showcase his striking a bit if he has to here. Look for Hager to get a quick stoppage in this fight.
