Your weekend of fighting gets off to an early start this weekend, with Bellator 249 set to go on Thursday night from the Mohegan Sun Resort in Uncasville. The main card, which featured 4 fights, is set to go at 10 PM EST and will be available on the CBS Sports Network. This is a double main event affair, but it will be the title fight between Cris Cyborg and Arlene Blencowe that will serve as the final fight of the evening. As we do with all of these big fight nights, we will be taking a closer look at all the bouts on the main card, so let’s jump right in so you can place your bets against their Bellator odds.
Bellator 249 Betting Preview | MMA Betting Analysis
Saad Awad (+220) Vs Mandel Nallo (-270)
We get the main card rolling with a welterweight bout between a pair of fighters looking to return to winning ways. At the age of 37 and a 4-fight losing streak under his belt, you really do have to wonder if this will prove to be the end of the road in Bellator for Awad if he cannot find a way to pull put a victory in this fight. Nallo saw his unbeaten record come to an end in his last fight, a 3rd round loss to Killys Mota taking his career mark to 7-1. This seems to be a fight set to get him back to winning ways, which I think he does via KO.
Ricky Bandejas (-170) Vs Leandro Higo (+145)
The bantamweights are up next in a fight that looks to be pretty evenly matched. Bandejas is 13-4 in his career, but he is also on a run that has seen him win just 2 of his last 5 fights. His progress has stalled a little at this point, so this is a fight that he really needs to start moving up the rankings again. Higo, who comes in with a 19-5 career mark is on a similar path to Bandejas in that he is 2-3 in his last 5. Both of these fighters are desperate for a win and I see this one going the distance. I am giving the slight edge to Bandejas.
Patricky Pitbull (-315) Vs Jaleel Willis (+255)
This great looking lightweight bout serves as the co-main event for Bellator 249, so let’s hope for a good one. Pitbull will be looking to bounce back on Thursday night after losing to Musayev last time out at RIZIN. He has not fought in Bellator since 2018, but he had 5 straight wins before making the move. Willis only has 1 fight under the Bellator banner, which he won way back in 2016. He is in a hot streak of form at the moment and comes in on a 4-fight win streak. I’m going with Pitbull by KO.
Cris Cyborg (-1160) Vs Arlene Blencowe (+780)
You may want to make sure to tune into the rest of the main card to see some action, because I think this one might be over very quickly. Cyborg made a name for herself in the UFC before moving to Bellator, where she was made to work a little harder than expected to get the win and move to 22-2. Blencowe has a career mark of 13-7 and is coming into this bout on a 3-fight win streak. That said, she looks to be in way over her head here. I am Cyborg for the early KO.
