Bellator 192 MMA Odds & Betting Preview

Bellator 192 MMA Odds & Betting Preview

Written by on January 17, 2018

There’s a big UFC 220 card on Saturday from Boston that features heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic putting his belt on the line against Francis Ngannou. However, it’s not your only excellent MMA option of the night. Bellator’s 192 card from the Forum in Los Angeles is one of that organization’s best ever and is co-headlined by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Chael Sonnen squaring off in a heavyweight fight. Here’s a look at Bellator 192’s two co-main fights and and it’s latest MMA odds provided by MyBookie. This card can be seen on Spike TV.

Bellator 192 MMA Odds & Betting Preview

Chael Sonnen (29-15-1) vs. Rampage Jackson (37-12)

Jackson is a -155 favorite with Sonnen at +115. This is the first of Bellator’s eight-man heavyweight tournament, called the Heavyweight Grand Prix, which culminates in a bout later this year for the promotion’s vacant title. That belt was vacated by Vitaly Minakov in 2016. Sonnen and Jackson get things started in the first quarterfinal on Saturday from L.A. That winner would take on the Frank Mir-Fedor Emeliananko winner. Those two meet in April. On the other side of the bracket, on Feb. 16 in Connecticut, when Roy Nelson (23-14) meets Matt Mitrione (12-5). The opening round concludes in May, with current Bellator light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader (24-5) taking on Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (21-6) in San Jose.  The final is tentatively scheduled for December 2018.

What Does the President Say About This Fight?

“This is going to be something that’s iconic for us,” Bellator president Scott Coker said. “Tournaments, traditionally, are kind of the way martial arts contests happen. Now we get to put eight iconic brand names in our sport together over a year, and then whoever wins will be crowned the heavyweight champion.” Only half of the field (Emelianenko, Mir, Mitrione, Nelson) an even say they’re a natural heavyweight. Of that group, Mitrione is the closest to still being in his prime. Mir hasn’t fought since March 2016. Sonnen, Jackson, Nelson and Emelianenko are all past their primes. “King Mo” is the wild card in this tournament. Jackson, 39, most recently competed under the Bellator banner last March, dropping a unanimous decision to Lawal in a heavyweight main event at Bellator 175. The rematch loss snapped a five-fight winning streak. Rampage is a former PRIDE middleweight champion and UFC light heavyweight title holder. He holds victories over some of the biggest names in MMA history, including Chuck Liddell, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Dan Henderson, and Wanderlei Silva.

How Well is Chael Sonnen for This Fight?

The 40-year-old Sonnen, who did his best work in UFC at middleweight, made his pro debut way back in 1997. The fight is Sonnen’s third since signing a 2016 deal with Bellator. He lost to Tito Ortiz last January by first-round submission before rebounding with a unanimous decision win Wanderlei Silva in the main event of Bellator 180, only the second pay-per-view in Bellator history. For this fight, Sonnen could be facing an opponent who may be 40 pounds heavier than him on the night. Rampage figures to use that advantage against the middleweight/light heavyweight Sonnen, who expects to be around 215 pounds in the contest. “There is a fear factor here, and it has driven me in training, in camp,” Sonnen said recently. “Look, Rampage is a tough night when he weighs 205 pounds. When he weighs 255 pounds… you talk about his hands, yeah, Rampage has put plenty of men down.” Jackson has suffered his past three losses by decision. He hasn’t been stopped since September 2011. Sonnen has suffered 14 of his 15 career losses by stoppage.

Rory MacDonald (19-4) vs. Douglas Lima (29-6)

Which fighter is a safe bet for Bellator 192? It’s a welterweight title fight between the champion Lima, who is a +140 underdog, against former UFC champion and Canadian MacDonald, who is -180. Sonnen-Jackson will be the last fight of the card, but Bellator considers it a double main event, according to spokesperson C.J. Tuttle. Lima is one of the best fighters in Bellator history, a two-time champion with multiple highlight-reel knockouts on his resume. “The Phenom”, from Brazil, has won three in a row since a loss to Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 104. The Brazilian’s only other loss in Bellator came against Ben Askren in 2012. Lima last fought in June and beat Lorenz Larkin by unanimous decision. It wasn’t the kind of exciting, highlight-reel victory Lima wanted.

What Does Douglas Lima Say About His Opponent?

“I’m just not gonna let that get to me this time,” Lima said. “I’m looking at this guy like he’s just any other. I just go over there, perform, let everything go and just make it a great fight. Because I didn’t like the last one.” Lima competes in his 13th Bellator welterweight bout, tied with Koreshkov for the most appearances in divisional history. Lima’s 10 victories in Bellator welterweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Koreshkov (11). Lima has earned 24 of his 29 career victories by stoppage. MacDonald (19-4) is a popular former UFC title challenger known for exciting fights. When MacDonald signed with Bellator last year, it was considered perhaps the promotion’s most significant acquisition from the UFC yet. MacDonald has earned 14 of his 19 career victories by stoppage. He owns a victory over current UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. “The Red King” ended a two-fight losing streak, both in the UFC, in his Bellator debut in May with a second-round submission of Paul Daley. Originally, MacDonald thought his fight with Lima would take place somewhere in Canada. Now he said he hopes to make his first defense of the title in his homeland should he emerge victorious against Lima. “I see it going probably one or two rounds, maybe three,” MacDonald said. “I don’t see it going four or five rounds. I’m going to close the show before then.”

Expert Predictions for Bellator 192

Take Jackson by stoppage and MacDonald by KO/TKO.