Bellator 241 takes place Friday, March 13 at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the main card, and here they are.
Bellator 241 Opening Odds
Patricio Pitbull -550
Pedro Carvalho +400
Matt Mitrione -185
Ronny Markes +145
Nick Newell -265
Zach Zane +185
Emmanuel Sanchez -170
Daniel Weichel +140
Paul Daley -625
Sabah Homasi +450
Anatoly Tokov -1200
Fabio Aguiar +800
And here are my initial thoughts on the Bellator 241 Opening Odds:
- The main event is a five-round featherweight Grand Prix quarterfinal bout between Pitbull and Carvalho. The champion Pitbull is arguably the greatest home-grown fighter in Bellator history and is currently riding a five-fight win streak that includes wins over some of the best 145lbers in Bellator like Sanchez and Weichel as well as the former lightweight champion Michael Chandler. Pitbull is an absolute machine and has always been the favorite to win this tournament ever since it was announced. As for Carvalho, Pitbull handpicked him for this fight and you can’t blame him for doing so. Though he’s riding a hot streak with six straight wins, he hasn’t fought anyone close to elite competition like Pitbull. This is a massive step up in competition for Carvalho, and you just can’t take him here. It’s unfortunate he got such a tough draw in the quarterfinals, but hey, that’s what happens in a tournament. Look for the champ to have another winning performance as he moves on to the finals of the tournament.
- In the other featherweight Grand Prix bout, Sanchez takes on Weichel in a rematch. These two met back in 2016, with Weichel winning a split decision. Both men are underrated by the masses, as they are each two of the better 145lbers on the Bellator roster. This is a well-matched fight between two evenly-matched fighters. The odds should probably be closer to a Pick ’em given the fact they have fought before and Weichel won, but Sanchez has been a bit hotter lately which is why the sportsbooks likely favor him this time around.
- In heavyweight action, Bellator called upon Mitrione to fight Markes on short notice after Josh Barnett was pulled with a drug testing issue. Mitrione is coming off of a brutal KO loss to Sergei Kharitonov and hasn’t won a fight in two years, but he remains a knockout threat anytime he steps into the cage due to his speed and power. Markes is just 1-2 over his last three fights and will be a small heavyweight. Given Mitrione’s KO power and Markes’ tendency to get knocked ou, you have to go with Mitrione to get a violent win in this one.
- Two big favorites on this card are Daley and Tokov. Both men are taking on overmatched opponents in Homasi and Aguiar and given the experience and skills of both guys it’s not a surprise to see them so heavily favored in their matchups. There likely isn’t much value on either guy given the massive betting lines on the favorites, but at the same time, it’s hard to see either Daley or Tokov losing their fights.
