Bellator 172: Fedor vs. Mitrione Date: February 18, 2017 Arena: SAP Center City: San Jose, CA Bellator Fighting Championship is back this Saturday (February 18, 2017) with Bellator 172: Fedor vs Mitrione. The five-fight main card is scheduled to kick off at 9 p.m. ET on Spike TV, with preliminary action preceding it on the promotion’s website at 7 p.m. If interested in wagering on any bouts for this fight card, all betting lines will be made available to you at Several Bookmakers. My Fights to AVOID betting are: Lightweight bout: Josh Thomson (-210) vs. Patricky Freire (+175) Gabe’s Thoughts: Thomson is on a two-fight winning streak since moving over to Bellator, with both victories coming by way of finish, and he will be looking to extend that streak to three against Freire on Saturday night. Cage rust may be a concern with the 38-year-old heading into this contest, as he has not seen action in more than a year. Meanwhile, the Brazilian Freire is coming off a first-round knockout loss against Michael Chandler at Bellator 157 last Summer and will be looking to break back into the win column in this ‘winner versus loses’ matchup in the 155-pound division. I like Thomson in this matchup and think he should be a -170 favorite heading in. At the current betting odds, I see no value in either fighter for a play, so I think we are best off avoiding this one at the sportsbook. Gabe’s Call: Thomson by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID Heavyweight bout: Cheick Kongo (-255) vs. Oli Thompson (+215) Gabe’s Thoughts: If this fight was taking place half a decade ago, I would bet the house on Kongo here at these odds. However, at this point in his career, I don’t value him as high. I think he should be a 2-to-1 betting favorite in this contest, so I don’t see any value in wagering on him at -255, nor do I really see value in Thompson, so I feel that this fight has “avoid” written all over it. I think this is a winnable fight for Thompson, as he is capable of knocking Kongo out, but I don’t think it’s worth the gamble at this price. Let’s skip this one. Gabe’s Call: Kongo by T/KO (strikes, 3:55 round 2) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID All of my content and plays are free. Your support is greatly appreciated. 
