Bellator 227 takes place Friday, September 27 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the main card, and here they are.
Bellator 227 Opening Odds
James Gallagher -515
Roman Salazar +345
Benson Henderson -230
Myles Jury +170
Michael Page -405
Richard Kiely +285
Ryan Scope -265
Peter Queally +185
And here are my initial thoughts on the Bellator 227 Opening Odds:
- The main event should be a blowout between Gallagher (9-1) and Salazar (13-9, 1 NC). Gallagher is only 22-years-old and one of Bellator’s brightest prospects. The KO loss to Ricky Bandejas last year was surprising, but he’s bounced back nicely with two wins since then. The fact he will be fighting in his native Ireland should give him a huge boost here. Not to mention the fact he’s taking on a short-notice opponent in Salazar, who only had two weeks to train for this week. Credit to Salazar for stepping up on short notice for an injured Cal Ellenor, but this isn’t a good matchup for him. A UFC veteran, Salazar has lost three of his last four fights. He’s also significantly older than Gallagher at age 31. Again, credit to Salazar for taking this fight on short notice when no one else would, but I can’t see it going well for him. Gallagher should win this fight by stoppage.
- The Henderson (27-8) vs. Jury (8-4) fight might be the most interesting matchup on the whole card. Both fighters are UFC veterans and now we get to see them meet under the Bellator banner. It’s true that Henderson has struggled in Bellator as he’s just 4-3 since leaving the UFC. But to his credit he has really turned things around as of late and has won his last three fights. He’s not the same guy he once was when he was the UFC lightweight champion, but he’s still a solid fighter. As for Jury, he flamed out of the UFC with two straight losses at featherweight and is moving back up to lightweight in Bellator. I think that’s a good move for him, but this is definitely a tough fight against such a well-rounded opponent in Henderson. I expect a close fight, but believe Henderson wins a decision.
- The welterweight bout between Page (14-1) and Kiely (3-1) also looks like a mismatch. Despite getting knocked out by Douglas Lima in his last fight, Page remains one of the most talented welterweights in Bellator. He’s extremely fast and very accurate and powerful with his strikes. As for Kiely, he has very limited experience in MMA and this is a big step up in competition for him. I fully expect Page to win this fight by knockout.
- And finally, lightweights Scope (11-2) and Queally (11-5-1) meet in what should be a fun fight. Scope had a very strong showing against Patricky Pitbull in his Bellator debut, losing a close split decision. Despite losing, the loss showed that he’s a very talented fighter. As for Queally, he lost his Bellator debut in an upset to Myles Price. I favor Scope in this fight, and could see him either winning a decision or getting a stoppage.
