Bellator 251: Manhoef vs. Anderson takes place on Thursday, November 5 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the event, and MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a look at the opening odds below.
Bellator 251 Odds
Corey Anderson -450
Melvin Manhoef +350
Derek Anderson -300
Killys Mota +240
Tyrell Fortune -300
Said Sowma +250
Austin Vanderford -215
Vinicius de Jesus +185
Sumiko Ibana -260
Jessica Ruiz +200
Georgi Karakhanyan -160
Bryce Logan +130
Janay Harding -240
Jessy Miele +190
Alex Polizzi -115
Julius Anglickas -115
Ali Zebian -160
Piankhi Zimmerman +130
Jaylon Bates -135
Joe Supino +130
Here are my initial thoughts on the Opening Odds For Bellator 251:
- In the main event, former UFC light heavyweight Corey Anderson makes his Bellator debut against veteran striker Melvin Manhoef. Anderson enters Bellator coming off of a TKO loss to current UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, but he isn’t far removed from a four-fight win streak that saw him collect wins over Glover Teixeira and Johnny Walker. Anderson is a fantastic wrestler and can knock his opponents out from time to time, but unfortunately, he has been plagued by a questionable chin throughout his career. In his first Bellator fight, the promotion has matched him up with the aging KO artist Manhoef. Now 44 years old, Manhoef isn’t in his prime anymore, but he remains a very capable fighter. Manhoef is coming off of back-to-back wins in Bellator and overall has a record of 4-3, 1 NC in the promotion since 2014. Manhoef has 29 wins by knockout so he absolutely has the power to catch Anderson and put him out. But it’s also hard not to see Anderson being able to use his wrestling and make this a grinding type of fight that he prefers. It would be fun to see Manhoef score an upset here, but more times than not I see Anderson wrestling his way to a decision win.
- Another great fight on this card is a lightweight bout between Anderson and Mota. Anderson is 7-3 overall in Bellator since joining the promotion in 2013 and is coming off of back-to-back wins over Zak Bucia and Guilherme Bomba. He also holds two notable wins over Patricky Pitbull plus a KO win over Brandon Girtz. As for Mota, the Brazilian is coming off of a leg kick TKO win over Mandel Nallo in his last fight. Overall he is 12-1 in his MMA career that includes a notable KO win over Akihiro Gono. Anderson is a long-time Bellator veteran but I think this line is too wide. Mota is a quality fighter and at these underdog odds, he is worth a shot here.
- At heavyweight, Fortune is a big favorite once again against Sowma. Fortune is coming off of a No Contest to Jack May and a KO loss to Tim Johnson, but he isn’t far removed from being one of the top heavyweight prospects in Bellator. As for Sowma, the big man rides into Bellator off of a six-fight win streak, including a victory in Titan FC his last time out. Given Fortune’s recent struggles, this could be an opportunity to take a shot on a big dog here in Sowma.
