Saad Awad takes on Brandon Girtz in the main event at Bellator 219 on Friday, March 29. Awad and Girtz isn’t the only battle that should excite MMA fans and handicappers. Daniel Straus battles Shane Kruchten while Andrey Koreshkov takes on Mike Jasper. Also on the card is a great matchup between underdog Janya Harding and favored Marina Mokhnatkina. Check out Bellator betting odds along with analysis and picks.
Bellator 219 Odds, Predictions & Picks
“It’s not gonna’ stop me from riding. It’s not gonna’ stop me from fighting.”-@DanielStraus
We can’t wait to see Daniel Straus make his triumphant return to the Bellator cage at #Bellator219 on March 29th. Watch the full YouTube piece: https://t.co/Vv9FG97KKe#WeAreBellator pic.twitter.com/a5cHEDuPx2 — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 27, 2019
- When: Friday, March 29 at 8:00 pm ET
- Where: Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula, CA
- TV / Live Stream: DAZN
Andrey Koreshkov vs Mike Jasper
- Bellator 219 Odds: Koreshkov -800 / Jasper +500
This welterweight battle could be the most competitive on the Bellator 219 card. Andrey Koreshkov is 21-3. The Russian fighter has 12 wins by knockout, 3 via submission, and another 6 by decision. He can adjust to whatever Mike Jasper does on Friday night.
Jasper has a 13-4 record, but this will be his first fight for Bellator. Expect Jasper to put forth a good effort for a round before Koreshkov’s vast experience at this level leads him to a win.
Bellator 219 Pick: Andrey KoreshkovJanya Harding vs Marina Mokhnatkina
- Bellator 219 Odds: Harding +270 / Mokhnatkina -390
Maria Mokhnatkina’s 4-1 record’s the reason she’s favored to take down Janya Harding on March 29. Mokhnatkina hails from St. Petersburg, Russia, where she no doubt learned the skills necessary to succeed at Bellator.
But, 4-4 Janya Harding won all of her fights via technical knockout or knockout. Not only that, she lost 3-of-4 via decision. Harding’s worth backing at the odds.
Bellator 219 Pick: Janya HardingDaniel Straus vs Shane Kruchten
- Bellator 219 Odds: Straus -470 / Kruchten +345
In the co-main event, oddsmakers have made Daniel Straus a big favorite over Shane Kruchten. Straus has a formidable 24-8 record. 14 of his wins came via decision while he’s submitted opponents 6 times for victories, and knocked out 4 of his opponents for wins.
Kruchten has 12 wins, 6 via submission, and 3 each via knockout and by decision. In Kruchten’s 4 losses, 2 were via knockout and 2 were via submission. Kruchten could be overly aggressive in this giving the more experienced fighter the edge. Straus might not KO or submit Kruchten, but he’ll fight well enough for the win even though he was in a motorcycle crash.
Bellator 219 Pick: Daniel StrausSaad Awad vs Brandon Girtz
- Bellator 219 Odds: Awad -280 / Girtz +220
Saad Awad has a 20-10 record, but he had won 4 in a row before Ben Henderson beat him via decision last October. Awad had beaten Ryan Quinn, Zach Freeman, J.J. Ambrose, and Ryan Couture. He could easily return to his winning form. Oddsmakers certainly think he will.
Brandon Girtz has a shot. His ground game is excellent. 8 of his 15 wins have come via submission while he’s knocked out 3 of his opponents and have won 4 fights via decision. Girtz is a tough fighter. However, he’s giving up 3 inches on the 5’ 10” Awad. Those 3 inches could definitely mean something in this fight. Awad gets the nod in Bellator 219’s main event.
Bellator 219 Pick: Saad Awad
