PFL 2019: Week 8 takes place Thursday, October 17 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the full card, and here they are.
PFL 2019: Week 8 Opening Odds
Rashid Magomedov -165
Akhmet Aliev +125
Chris Wade -300
Nate Andrews +220
Islam Mamedov -385
Loik Radzhabov +265
Natan Schulte -900
Ramsey Nijem +500
Jeremy Kennedy -140
Luis Rafael Laurentino +100
Movlid Khaybulaev -530
Daniel Pineda +350
Andre Harrison -185
Alex Gilpin +145
Lance Palmer -675
Gadzhi Rabadanov +425
And here are my initial thoughts on the PFL 2019: Week 8 Opening Odds:
- This event features the promotion’s featherweight and lightweight quarterfinals and semifinals bouts. Keep in mind the quarterfinals are two rounds while the semifinals are three. There are quite a few quality bouts on this card, with the top two fighters from each weight class moving on to the New Year’s Eve card for the $1 million grand prizes.
- Starting with the featherweight division, last year’s winner Palmer takes on Rabadanov. Palmer should still be considered the favorite to win this entire tournament, though Rabadanov should not be taken lightly. Still, you have to favor Palmer to use his wrestling and win a decision.
- Next, we see Harrison take on Gilpin. Although Gilpin is probably a bit underrated, Harrison has only lost once in his entire career, to Palmer. His wrestling alone should be enough to grind out a decision here.
- Also at 145lbs, Khaybulaev might not be a household name, but he is a very dangerous fighter who scored an incredible knockout over Damon Jackson earlier this year. Pineda has more experience and previously fought in the UFC, but you have to favor Khaybulaev to win this fight.
- And the last featherweight bout is a very intriguing rematch between Laurentino and Kennedy. These two fought earlier this year, with Laurentino pulling off a stunning upset and winning by knockout. But his loss to Palmer in his last fight showed that his ground game isn’t up to par. Although Kennedy lost the first fight, if he can bring in a smarter gameplan this time around he should be able to grind out a decision.
- At lightweight, last year’s winner Schulte takes on Nijem in what should be an easy win for Schulte. Nijem hasn’t fought in over a year and is lucky to be in this spot. Schulte should easily win this fight.
- The Mamedov vs. Radzhabov fight should be pretty solid as well. Of all the lightweight bouts, I would probably give this one the biggest chance of seeing an upset occur. But I still favor Mamedov to win.
- The Wade vs. Andrews fight is also a rematch. Wade beat Andrews earlier this year, and there’s no reason to think the fight will play out any differently. Wade should be a frontrunner to win this year’s tournament.
- And finally, we have Aliev against Magomedov. Aliev has looked great in PFL and is a very dangerous opponent for anyone in the tournament. Magomedov lost in the finals last year to Schulte and just lost in an upset to Andrews. I think this could be a spot to take the dog in Aliev.
