This is a great weekend to be an MMA fan, with the UFC, Bellator, and Cage Warriors all delivering events throughout the next few days. We are going to keep you up to date on all the action, but for the purposes of this piece, we are turning our attention to Bellator. They have a massive event going on this coming Saturday, with the 8th edition of the Euro Series set to go in the Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy. Best of all, the main card, which features a trio of big fights, will begin at 5 PM EST. You can catch all the action live on YouTube, so you will want to know some more about each fight before you tune in. We have a quick breakdown of all 3 main event bouts ready to go, so let’s jump right in so you can place your bets against their Bellator odds.
Euro Series 8: Edwards Vs Van Steenis | Bellator Betting Analysis
Will Fleury Vs Kent Kauppinen
The main card opens with a middleweight bout between a pair of evenly matched fighters. Fleury comes into this fight with a 7-3 career mark, while going 3-2 under the Bellator banner. His last win was an easy opening round victory over Justin Moore via submission. He followed that up with a loss at EFM 3, this time being forced to submit, so he will be looking to bounce back here. Kauppinen switches between boxing and MMA, but he has certainly had more success with the latter, going 12-5 in the octagon. His boxing prowess and power may well prove to be too much for Fleury, so I am taking Kauppinen to win by KO to get the night started.
Michael Shipman Vs Pietro Penini
It’s another middleweight fight that serves as the second bout on the main card, this one between a pair of fighters who have had good pro careers to this point. That said, Shipman is definitely in need of a win after losing each of his last 2 fights, taking his career record to 13-3. He was on a 13-fight unbeaten run before getting knocked out by Costello van Steenis at Bellator 230. That was followed up by a split decision loss to unbeaten Fabian Edwards. Penini has bounced back nicely after taking the first loss in his pro career at the hands of Leon Aliu. Since then, he has racked up 3 straight wins, 2 of which came by unanimous decision. This should be a very good fight, with the slight edge going to Shipman.
Fabian Edwards Vs Costello van Steenis
The headline event of the evening is another middleweight bout that has all the makings of a great one. These two fighters have been going back and back and forth in a war of words ahead of this fight, so expect there to be no love lost inside the octagon. Edwards comes into this fight with a perfect 9-0 record, but he has been made to work for that mark, with 3 of his last 4 fights won by decision, one of which was split. Van Steenis has a 12-2 career record, but he is coming off a loss to John Salter at Bellator 233. That defeat ended a run of 6 fights unbeaten, but I think he could be in trouble again here. I am taking Edwards to win by decision.
