Bellator MMA vs. Rizin takes place on Saturday, December 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. 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 MMA vs. Rizin Odds
AJ McKee -145
Roberto de Souza +115
Patricio Pitbull -330
Kleber Koike Erbst +250
Kyoji Horiguchi -400
Hiromasa Ougikubo +310
Juan Archuleta -165
Soo Chul Kim +135
Gadzhi Rabadanov -165
Koji Takeda +135
Here are my initial thoughts on the Opening Odds For Bellator MMA vs. Rizin:
- The main event of Bellator MMA vs. Rizin sees AJ McKee against Roberto de Souza in a lightweight bout. McKee recently moved up to lightweight and he picked up an impressive win over Spike Carlyle in Bellator. As for de Souza, he is the Rizin lightweight champion and he has won his last five fights in a row, including a submission win over former UFC fighter Johnny Case in his last fight. Both fighters are very impressive and this should be a fantastic fight. It all comes down to whether or not de Souza can get the fight to the ground. If he can, he will likely win by submission again, but if it stays standing, you have to favor McKee.
- The co-main event features Patricio Pitbull against Kleber Koike Erbst in a featherweight contest. Pitbull is coming off back-to-back wins over McKee and Adam Borics in his last two fights, and overall he is regarded as one of the best Bellator fighters of all time. As for Erbst, he has won his last seven fights in a row by submission. Again, this fight likely comes down to whether or not Erbst can get the fight to the floor. If he can, he can win by submission, but if the fight stays standing, it’s hard not to see Pitbull having the upper hand.
