Bellator returns tomorrow night (January 21, 2017) with Bellator 170: Ortiz vs Sonnen. The main card is set to kick off at 9pm ET on Spike TV, with preliminary action to precede it on the promotion’s website at 6:30pm. If interested in wagering on any this fight card, all betting lines will be made available at Several Bookmakerss. Here are my plays for Bellator 161: Light Heavyweight bout: Chael Sonnen (-200) vs Tito Ortiz (+185) Gabe’s Thoughts: I think Sonnen is in shape for this bout and I expect his wrestling to make the difference here. Tito will likely be game and go out fighting, but i favor Sonnen to outgrapple him for the majority of three rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory in this contest. Regardless of who gets his hand raised, I think a decision victory is the most likely outcome for both 205-pounders in this main event contest scheduled for three rounds. Gabe’s Call: Sonnen by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Over 2.5 rounds (-180) 1.8u to win 1u Welterweight bout: Brennan Ward (-105) vs Paul Daley (-105) Gabe’s Thoughts: I really like Ward here. I think he gives Daley trouble on the feet and takes him down, using his superior wrestling to control the bout en route to a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards following three rounds of action. If he opts to stay standing, this could could down to the wire, but I expect him to mix in his wrestling and cruise to a victory. At -105, I believe Ward is the right side for a play here, as I think he should be a -180 betting favorite heading in. Gabe’s Call: Ward by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Ward (-105) 4.2u to win 4u Featherweight bout: Georgi Karakhanyan (-125) vs Emmanuel Sanchez (+115) Gabe’s Thoughts: This is Karakhanyan’s last fight at featherweight before he moves up to the lightweight division. Sanchez is a very game opponent but I think if both fighters show up on top of their game, Karakhanyan will come out with his hand raised. Gabe’s Call: Karakhanyan by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Karakhanyan (-125) 1.75u to win 1.4u
