Bellator 257: Nemkov vs. Davis 2 takes place on Friday, April 16 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 257 Odds
Vadim Nemkov -350
Phil Davis +275
Julia Budd -220
Dayana Silva +180
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov -150
Corey Anderson +120
Paul Daley -250
Sabah Homasi +210
Desiree Yanez -250
Veta Arteaga +200
Marcus Surin -150
Lance Gibson Jr. +120
Demarques Jackson -115
Grachik Bozinyan -115
Alfred Khashakyan -115
John Dejesus -115
Mads Burnell -250
Saul Rogers +200
Jay Jay Wilson -115
Pedro Carvalho -115
Viktor Nemkov -145
Karl Albrektsson +115
Here are my initial thoughts on the Opening Odds For Bellator 257:
- We have another great Bellator card on tap for this Friday night. In the main event, Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov (13-2) puts his belt on the line for the first time when he takes on Phil Davis (22-5) in the Bellator World Light Heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinals. Nemkov and Davis previously met in 2018, with Nemkov winning a split decision. Overall, Nemkov is riding a seven-fight win streak that includes a knockout win over Ryan Bader in his last outing to win the belt. As for Davis, he is currently riding a three-fight win streak and in his most recent outing, he defeated Lyoto Machida via split decision. One thing to note here is the age gap as Nemkov is just 28 compared to 36 for Davis. No doubt Davis was a great fighter at one point in time, but I feel like he’s on a decline now in his career. Although Davis could make things interesting with his wrestling, Nemkov should have a big advantage on the feet. The champ should take care of things, and possibly get a knockout.
- In the co-main event, Corey Anderson (14-5) takes on Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (18-5-1). Anderson dominated veteran Melvin Manhoef in his Bellator debut to bounce back from a knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz in his final UFC fight. Overall, Anderson is 5-1 over his last six fights, which includes a notable knockout win over Johnny Walker. In this fight, he will obviously be looking to wrestle and stay away from the incredible power of Yagshimuradov, who is a former ACA light heavyweight champion. One thing to point out here is that Yagshimuradov has not fought since December 2019, so he will be coming into this fight off of quite the layoff. That being said, Yagshimuradov is a huge puncher and he shouldn’t be counted out of this fight. Anderson is the bigger name so it’s a surprise to see him favored here, but the oddsmakers clearly are giving a lot of respect to Yagshimuradov in this one.
- Another interesting fight to keep your eye on features Paul Daley (42-17-2) against Sabah Homasi (15-8). Daley is coming off of back-to-back wins over Erick Silva and Saad Awad, while Homasi was last seen defeating Curtis Millender by decision. If Homasi chooses to wrestle he could make this a tough night at the office for Daley, but if they stand and bang, you would have to give the edge to “Semtex” to get the knockout.
