The latest installment in Bellator’s heavyweight grand prix takes place this Saturday, April 28 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illiniois at Bellator 198. The main event features a heavyweight bout between legends Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir. The opening odds were released courtesy of the offshore sportsbooks, and here they are:
Bellator 198 Opening Odds
Frank Mir -180
Fedor Emelianenko +140
Emmanuel Sanchez -300
Sam Sicilia +220
Neiman Gracie -1050
Javier Torres +550
Rafael Lovato Jr. -300
Gerald Harris +220
Dillon Dannis -600
Kyle Walker +400
Here are my initial reactions to seeing the Bellator 198 opening odds:
– I’m digging this main event bout between Fedor and Mir. I have a full written breakdown for this fight coming out soon so I will refrain from writing too much about it here, only to say that I’m thinking a dog might bark.
– Hard not to like Sanchez against Sicilia. Sanchez has gone 8-2 in Bellator and is one of the better featherweights in the promotion right now. He has won three-straight fights and a submission win over former Bellator featherweight champion Daniel Straus shows just how dangerous he has become with this ground game. And at just 27 he should continue to improve. Sicilia won his Bellator debut but he lost all three fights before that. The line is high on Sanchez but this is absolutely a fight he should win in impressive fashion.
– Haris took this fight on extremely short notice against Lovato Jr., so it’s no shock he’s an underdog, but I think Harris is a live dog in this spot. Harris has won four-straight fights and is a tremendous wrestler with multiple slam KOs on his resume. Lovato Jr. has obviously looked amazing in MMA so far with an undefeated record of 7-0, including a 3-0 mark in Bellator, but Harris is the best fighter he’s fought to date. It’s hard not to be concerned about a crash weight cut for Harris, but I still think he has a chance here.
– In two mismatches, I expect Gracie and Dannis to win. Bellator clearly wants both of these guys to win and they’ve been matched up against overmatched opponents, so I expect quick finishes for each. Torres is on a nice win streak but hasn’t fought in two years while Walker is on a two-fight losing skid. If unders are released for these bouts that’s likely the way to approach them from a betting standpoint as both Gracie and Dannis should be able to submit their opponents quickly.
