Bellator 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 takes place on Friday, May 21 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 259 Odds
Cris Cyborg -1000
Leslie Smith +600
Darrion Caldwell -350
Leandro Higo +275
Christian Edwards -600
Ben Parrish +425
Jaleel Willis -155
Maycon Mendonca +125
Austin Vanderford -280
Fabian Edwards +220
Leah McCourt -185
Janay Harding +155
Brett Johns -360
Danny Sabatello +285
Davion Franklin -800
Tyler King +550
Nate Andrews -350
Saad Awad +275
Sumiko Inaba -500
Kristina Katsikis +375
Aviv Gozali -400
Sean Felton +300
Alexander Shabliy -400
Alfie Davis +300
Valerie Loureda -600
Hannah Guy +400
Grant Neal -260
Tyree Fortune +200
Here are my initial thoughts on the Opening Odds For Bellator 259:
- The main event of Bellator 259 is a rematch between Cris Cyborg (23-2) and Leslie Smith (12-8-1). These two veterans met back at UFC 196 in 2016, with Cyborg defeating Smith via first-round TKO. She was a massive favorite to win that first fight and once again you see Cyborg as a huge favorite in the rematch. Considering her dominance in the sport and how quickly she won the first fight, it’s totally understandable to see Cyborg as a big favorite here. That being said, Smith is certainly very durable, and since losing to Cyborg the first time she has gone 4-1, including wins over Irene Aldana and Amanda Lemos in the UFC. That’s impressive, and Smith probably isn’t getting enough credit heading into this matchup. But overall it’s just hard to pick against Cyborg here given how she has dominated the WMMA scene for so long.
- The co-main event of Bellator 259 sees Darrion Caldwell (14-4) against Leandro Higo (20-5) in a bantamweight bout. Caldwell is coming off of a submission loss to AJ McKee, Jr. in the Bellator World Featherweight Grand Prix and is now moving back down to 135lbs, where he is the former Bellator bantamweight champion. Before losing to McKee Jr., Caldwell beat Adam Borics and Henry Corrales for two quality wins. He’s a former champ for a reason and is a big favorite here to beat Higo. The Brazilian is a longtime Bellator veteran himself and he has won his last two bouts heading into this matchup against Caldwell. That being said, while Higo is certainly a solid fighter, Caldwell’s grappling is next level and he is favored for a reason here.
- Another important fight on this card features Austin Vanderford (10-0) against Fabian Edwards (9-1). Vanderford, the husband of Paige VanZant, is 4-0 since joining Bellator after Dana White passed on him on the Contender Series. He looks like a serious middleweight contender and it’s still a mystery why White didn’t give him a shot in the UFC considering he finished his fight on DWCS. As for Edwards, he is the brother of UFC welterweight Leon Edwards. Overall in Bellator, Edwards has a 5-1 record in the promotion although he is coming off of a split decision loss to Costello van Steenis in his last outing. Edwards is certainly a good fighter but given Vanderford is undefeated, it’s not a big surprise to see him as such a big favorite here.
