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Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to be a part of history tomorrow night.
Whether you agree with the approach or not, Bellator MMA is hitting the pay-per-view (PPV) market with its first ever event, Bellator 120: "Rampage vs. King Mo," taking place Saturday night (May 17, 2014) at Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi.
The main card features a battle between bitter rivals, as Quinton Jackson takes on Muhammed Lawal in the main event. Their scrap will decide who wins the promotion's season 10 light heavyweight tournament and meets the current champion, Emanuel Newton (get a full preview and breakdown here).
The co-main event pits former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler against Will Brooks for the interim lightweight title (preview here), and rounding up the card, we've got Alexander Shlemenko vs. Tito Ortiz, Blagoi Ivanov against Alexander Volkov and Michael Page vs. Ricky Rainey.
See their previews here, here, and here.
It's another Saturday night of fights, and a good enough reason to convince your girlfriend you'll be making money in order to have an exquisite candlelight dinner full of Indian food while you watch Game of Thrones.
Here are the latest numbers (via Best Fight Odds):
Bellator 120 Under Card:
Cheick Kongo (-660) vs. Eric Smith (+540)
Shahbulat Shamhalaev (-280) vs. Fabricio Guerreiro (+255)
Mike Richman (-210) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (+190)
Marcin Held (-1300) vs. Nate Jolly (+1050)
Folks, you have to figure out for yourself if the juice is worth the squeeze in these fights.
Despite how unpredictable Cheick Kongo fights are, he's still expected to destroy Eric Smith. Too bad we can't bet an over/under when it comes to Kongo's nut shots.
If you are confident in Fabricio Guerreiro's abilities, then place your wager, yet I wouldn't bet against Shahbulat Shamhalaev in this fight. "The Assassin" was on a knockout tear before he ran into Pat Curran.
Apparently, Marcin Held is a better fighter than Jon Jones and Anderson Silva combined, since they've got him at -1300.
The line on Mike Richman vs. Goiti Yamauchi is a bit surprising. I'm not saying I don't expect Richman to beat him, yet the oddsmakers could be sleeping on the 21-year-old Japanese standout, based on his experience and the fact that he's only lost two bouts out of 18.
Bellator 120 Main Card:
Quinton Jackson (-245) vs. Muhammed Lawal (+225)
Michael Chandler (-925) vs. Will Brooks (+725)
Alexander Shlemenko (-460) vs. Tito Ortiz (+410)
Blagoi Ivanov (-145) vs. Alexander Volkov (+135)
Michael Page (-455) vs. Ricky Rainey (+405)
There are some massive favorites here. Maybe it's best to gamble on some underdogs this weekend.
Michael Chandler and Alexander Shlemenko won't get you much, while the line on Blagoi Ivanov vs. Alexander Volkov is a little too close for my liking. Volkov would be a good bet, but if his striking fails him, Ivanov is going to maul him on the ground.
Michael Page should defeat Ricky Rainey, but are you willing to wager that much?
The most surprising line has to be the one on Muhammed Lawal, since he could easily be favored in this fight. He hasn't looked outstanding as of late, yet there's a real possibility he won't stand against "Rampage" at all during the fight. If he decides to use his wrestling, Jackson may be in for a long night.
At +225, you can easily put $50 on "Mo" and hope for the best. Maybe you'll disagree if you're a "Rampage" fan; however, the fact of the matter is this fight is too close to call. The result is unpredictable and in these instances, it becomes a pick'em.
Bellator 120 Best Bets
- Single Bet -- Goiti Yamauchi: Bet $50 to make $95
- Single Bet -- Muhammed Lawal: Bet $50 to make $127.50
Agree?
MMAmania.com will deliver full Bellator 120: "Rampage vs. King Mo" play-by-play coverage all night long RIGHT HERE.
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