Overview of the fight
Ryan Bader (28-7 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) will collide with Valentin Moldavsky (11-1 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) in the Bellator 273 headliner on Saturday, January 29, at Footprint Center in Phoenix. Bader enters the cage as the incumbent champion, while Moldavsky steps to the plate as the interim titleholder.
Last Fights Records
Bader holds a 6-2 record in Bellator but has lost two of his past three fights. He last appeared in the cage on October 16, at Bellator 268, when he succumbed to Corey Anderson in the first round.
Meanwhile, Moldavsky has rattled six straight victories in Bellator and will be looking for his seventh on Saturday. The 29-year-old last competed in Bellator 261 on June 25, when he won over UFC veteran Timothy Johnson with a unanimous decision.
Matchup Information:
Bader and Valentin will go at it on Saturday, January 29, at 10 PM ET/PT. The fight will be a part of the main card of the Bellator 273, set to take place at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Bader vs Moldavsky Betting Analysis
Bader, the MMA Heavyweight World Champion, will take on the interim heavyweight kingpin Moldavsky in a heavily-anticipated title unification bout. It will mark their first meeting, which will see Bader return to the heavyweight division after an impressive run in the Light Heavyweight class.
Bader Betting Analysis
The 38-year-old has an impressive 28-7 MMA record in his pro career, which started back in 2007. Over the last 15 years, Bader had competed in several promotions, including the UFC, where he fought 20 bouts before joining Bellator in 2017 when he won the Light Heavyweight title in his first fight.
Bader has successfully defended his title over the next couple of years and even moved up a division, beating the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in the Heavyweight World Grand Prix by TKO in 2019. Bader held two titles for a year before losing his Light Heavyweight belt in Summer 2020 to Vladim Nemkov.
Although Bader announced his comeback a year later, his campaign ended in the semis of Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix in October 2021, when he lost to Corey Anderson after just 51 seconds.
So while Bader has had an awe-inspiring career behind him, some may argue that he is way past his prime. Bader’s last win came in April 2021, when Bader won against Lyoto Machida via a decision, and before that, his only win happened in January 2019, when Bader won against Emelianenko.
Moldavsky Betting Analysis
The 29-year-old Moldavsky enters the upcoming bout as a fighter to watch. Priced as a heavy favorite on most sportsbooks, Moldavsky has proven himself time and time again and is now only one step away from solidifying himself as one of the most exciting fighters in the MMA scene.
As protégé of the legendary Fedor Emelianenko, Moldavsky himself is an expert of sambo, which explains why three of his wins came by submission. Interestingly, he won only one of his fights via a knockout.
That’s not to say that Moldavsky doesn’t have the KO power, but the trend is clear – his fights either end via submission or a decision (8). On that note, seven of his contests ended in a decision, while his only career loss was a decision as well.
This begs the question of how this fight will go. Will Moldavsky manage to stop Bader before the fifth round, or are we in for another fight that will go the distance? And if so, will Moldavsky manage to outperform the veteran MMA fighter?
Fighter updates
Neither of the two fighters has struggled with any recent injuries and should be 100% fit for the upcoming bout. However, while there is no exciting news about the fighter’s status, we should know a few things about Bader and Moldavsky.
- Twelve of Bader victories came via a knockout (48% career total).
- Bader has ten first-round finishes on his resume.
- Bader has fought at least once a year for the past 15 years.
- The only fighters who beat Bader (Nemkov, Johnson, Teixeira, Machida, and Jones) have a cumulative .783 win percentage.
- 64% of Moldavsky wins came via a decision (11 career wins).
- Moldavsky’s career fastest finish happened in June 2016 against Daniel Dorrer (47 seconds).
- Moldavsky has, to date, suffered only one defeat against Amir Aliakbari in December 2016.
- Bader (38) is nine years older than Moldavsky (29).
- Moldavsky has one inch longer reach but is one inch shorter.
Bader vs Moldavsky Betting Preview
Bader’s plan of attack should be to stick to what he knows. He entered the UFC as a wrestler with heavy hands, and while he hasn’t changed his style much over the years, Bader has become much more efficient at what he does.
If Bader can take full advantage of his wrestling knowledge, he should be able to put up a fight, and we expect him to use his strong striking to try and stop Moldavsky. He might be older, but many like to forget how efficient Bader can be on his feet, and you can’t ignore his punching power either.
Perhaps we would see Bader use the same strategy he used to defeat Moldavsky’s trainer, Emelianenko, by faking a takedown while coming over the top with a strong hook. But only we will have to wait and see whether the 38-year-old decides to the same approach.
While Bader will have opportunities to win, it’s hard to doubt Moldavsky, who has looked exceptional during his run through Bellator. His style might not be the most exciting, but Moldavsky has improved his striking skills, which in combination with grappling-heavy style, earned him some nice wins.
Since Moldavsky, like Bader, is a grappler, you could expect the fighters to remain on their feet for most of the fight. And will likely be the case here, knowing that Moldavsky will have a difficult time taking down Bader – but, if he manages to do so, his strong submission could come in handy.
Bader vs Moldavsky Betting Prediction
Both fighters have clear goals for how to win the fight, but if we compare them, it’s hard to doubt Moldavsky. He is priced as the strong favorite to win the bout, and there are good reasons for that.
If he can take Bader down, we could easily see a submission win, but Moldavsky’s plan will likely be to push the pace, work with his hooks and outperform Bader. A win here would set Moldavsky up on the path to becoming one of the all-time greats, and we can be sure he will grab the opportunity with both hands.
Pick: Valentin Moldavsky to win via a decision
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